Knicks Just Lost Out on Promising Center With Oscar Tshiebwe Going Elsewhere

August is almost here, and it's safe to say that the Knicks' hunt for more center depth is far from over. Having Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond atop the depth chart is great and all, but that's where the Knicks' center depth stops, as the offseason departures of Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti are still ringing true.

With options dwindling each day, New York needs to act quickly. It will be October in no time, and the last thing the defending NBA Champions need is to begin their title defense with inadequate depth. Unfortunately, another potential target is no longer a possibility.

On Friday, the Rockets announced that they have signed former undrafted center/power forward Oscar Tshiebwe to a contract. Although the announcement didn't clarify much, Spotrac lists the deal as an Exhibit 10 contract, which is a mostly non-guaranteed minimum contract for one year.

Given the Knicks' need for a budget-friendly third-string center, watching a promising up-and-comer like Tshiebwe—who was on some fans' radars—sign with the Rockets is bound to sting.

Oscar Tshiebwe would've been solution to Knicks' center needs

After going undrafted in 2023, Tshiebwe has shown promise ever since despite being limited to a trio of two-way contracts to begin his career. The West Virginia/Kentucky product has used the situation as motivation, highlighted by being the 2024 NBA G League Rookie of the Year and receiving back-to-back first-team nods.

Oscar Tshiebwe continues to DOMINATE 🔥

After posting a career-high 28 REB, the two-way player breaks the @TheMadAnts team record for most rebounds in a game.

Oscar becomes the 5th player ever to post 28+ boards in a game and is now tied for the 3rd most in G League HISTORY. pic.twitter.com/ehJCDmHOHN
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 22, 2023

Being a dynamic rebounder has put Tshiebwe on the map, as he led the NBA G League in total rebounds in both the 2023-24 (367) and 2024-25 (494) seasons. In fact, his career average of 17.2 total rebounds per game ranks first in G League history, according to Basketball Reference, driving home just how dominant he is along the glass.

Although most of his professional career has been spent in the minors, Tshiebwe does have a solid amount of NBA experience. He's averaging 7.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists on 61.3% shooting while playing 15.2 minutes per outing in 49 career games (seven starts). That translates to a respectable 21.8 points and 20.1 rebounds per 100 possessions, seemingly indicating that he could've handled being the Knicks' No. 3 center.

Tshiebwe's end-of-season stretch gave a proper glimpse at what he might be able to do in a bigger role. Starting in four of the Jazz's final five 2025-26 games, the 6-foot-8, 255-pound big man averaged 15.2 ppg and 12.0 rpg on 24.4 minutes per night, easily representing the best run out of any of his brief NBA opportunities so far.

Oscar Tshiebwe is an unrestricted free agent the Knicks should absolutely target.

Whether it’s a two-way or veteran minimum, he’d be a high-upside, low-risk addition.

Here’s his 29-point (12-17 FG), 17-rebound performance vs. LA: pic.twitter.com/KY8zbiFvEL
— SleeperKnicks (@SleeperKnicks) July 22, 2026

The Knicks will now watch Tshiebwe attempt to prove himself with the Rockets, whether things work out in the end or not. Either way, it's a luxury that New York doesn't have; instead, forcing Leon Rose & Co. back to the drawing board to find a third-string center worth bringing in.

The Bucks' Kel'el Ware would be a great fit, but acquiring him would likely be a long shot. There's recently been some increased optimism that the Knicks could pull off a trade with the Pelicans, who have interesting targets in Yves Missi and Karlo Matković. That's without mentioning how veteran rebounders, such as Nick Richards, are still in free agency and looking for work, too.

Needless to say, there are backup center options available for the Knicks, even if they aren't their preferred targets. That said, they can't sit on their hands forever. Eventually, they'll have to put pen to paper with someone, or they risk losing more potential solutions like Tshiebwe to other center-hungry teams.

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