3 Centers Knicks Should Avoid Signing Despite Big Man Need

August is approaching, and the New York Knicks still have a glaring need at center.

Coming off a championship season in which depth proved to be one of the Knicks’ greatest strengths, the current center rotation, as it stands, is a serious problem. Foul trouble or an injury to Karl-Anthony Towns or Andre Drummond would put Mike Brown and the team in a serious quandary.

The Knicks will almost surely make a move to add another center, but their plans remain a mystery. If there was a free agent remaining that the Knicks liked, they almost certainly could have signed them by now. It’s possible the Knicks are weighing trades and more creative strategies to sure up their center rotation.

For now, we can only speculate on the slim pickings of the free agent center class. Even with a dire need for a third big man, there are a few candidates that the Knicks should not pursue.

1. Maxi Kleber

Maxi Kleber was once a solid pick-and-pop threat, with surprising verticality and a knack for blocking shots at the rim.

Unfortunately, at 34, Kleber is no longer that player. Kleber has played a total of 157 games over the past four seasons combined. A 36% three-point shooter on solid volume over his first five seasons, Kleber has also now shot just 25% from three on 75 attempts over his past two seasons.

That the Lakers did not consistently use Kleber over the past two seasons indicates where Kleber is in his career. Los Angeles has sought out solid center play for two years, and Kleber was unable to provide it with any consistency.

It could be tempting for the Knicks to look at Kleber’s experience and skill set and think they could revive his career, but it seems that Kleber’s most productive days are behind him. He would be the ultimate example of settling to sign someone than truly trying to maximize the rotation in case of catastrophe.

2. Bismack Biyombo

The 33-year-old Bismack Biyombo has spent the last two seasons as a reserve with the San Antonio Spurs, playing spot minutes behind Victor Wembanyama (and Luke Kornet) this past season.

In 2025-26, Biyombo averaged a career-low 5.6 minutes per game. He was arguably fourth on the center depth chart, falling behind Kelly Olynyk as a reserve, too.

Simply put, Biyombo doesn’t offer a whole lot at this stage, even as a third-stringer. While Olynyk (who is also a free agent) could be an intriguing option for the Knicks due to his shooting, Biyombo doesn’t offer much that’s different than Drummond.

Could he finish around the basket and clean up the boards? Sure. But if that’s all the Knicks are looking for, they’d be better off trying to develop a young center with some more athleticism and promise.

3. Mason Plumlee

It probably doesn’t take much to guess why Mason Plumlee makes this list.

Plumlee spent time as a deep-bench reserve with the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs last season. He appeared in just 20 total games and logged only 172 total minutes.

Plumlee played a surprisingly big role with the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25, averaging 17 minutes per game across 74 contests. But again, at this stage of his career, Plumlee does not offer much that a young center cannot beyond veteran experience.

The Knicks are a veteran group already and while more solid veteran presences never hurt, it may behoove the Knicks to look for a young center with upside who can provide different intangibles and perhaps be trained to eventually assume the backup center role.

With two centers in their 30s, New York's best course may be to sign a young, springy third-string center who can perhaps develop into the full-time backup down the line. Plumlee and the others have very little upside remaining with their careers winding down, and even their current offerings are lackluster enough to completely avoid them.

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