The New York Knicks are seemingly set at four positions ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, but work may need to be done at center.
The Knicks enjoyed success in 2023-24 with Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Precious Achiuwa holding down the fort at the five. Fast forward to this summer, and Hartenstein is now on the Oklahoma City Thunder and Achiuwa is a free agent who could leave the Big Apple.
That would leave the Knicks with the injury-prone Robinson and a backup center in Jericho Sims who the franchise doesn’t appear to be fully invested in. With that in mind, the Knicks have been linked to a defensive stalwart in trade rumors, but those rumblings have gotten pushback in the media.
Knicks linked to Blazers defensive star Robert Williams III in trade talks
New York has recently been linked to Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III in mock trades. However, MassLive’s Brian Robb argued that the Knicks would be better off forbearing from pursuing him due to his lengthy injury history as well (h/t Jordanna Clark of Daily Knicks):
“The Knicks could certainly use some more help in the front court although another injury-prone big man probably wouldn’t work great behind Mitchell Robinson. The Pelicans could certainly use another big man after losing Jonas Valanciunas. The guess here is teams will want to see Williams back healthy on the floor for a bit this season before taking a gamble on him but I’d be stunned if he plays out another full season in Portland at this point,” Robb wrote.
Knicks: Williams III is a great defender and glass-cleaner to look into
The stage is set for Williams III to seek greener pastures outside of Portland. The Texas A&M product only played six games last season, so there’s not much to extrapolate from his output in such a small sample size. Nonetheless, Williams III was firmly established as Deandre Ayton’s backup in the Blazer’s lineup.
The former 2022 All-Defensive Second Team honoree was once a starter on the Boston Celtics in 2021-22, the third season in his five-year tenure with the franchise. He anchored their defense that year en route to an Eastern Conference Finals win, averaging a near double-double of 10 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks a night on 73.6 percent shooting from the field. Between 2020-21 and 2022-23, the Louisiana native put up 8.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in only 24.4 minutes per contest. He is a high-end producer who can pile on stats and blocked shots in limited minutes.
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Williams III would be a great replacement or backup for Robinson next season
Williams III would be a high-energy big man who could approximate the hustle and defense that Hartenstein left behind in New York. He is also a great offensive rebounder who can snag and bat out missed shots for second-chance opportunities. His 14.6 percent offensive rebounding percentage between 2020-21 and 2022-23 nearly equals Hartenstein’s 14.4 percent rate from the last campaign.
Should the Knicks move off of Robinson before the summer ends, Williams III would be a great new starter for the team to invest in. Should Robinson remain on the roster, Williams III would still be a viable backup in Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
