Mo Bamba Could Be a Sneaky Option for Knicks If They Stay Patient

As we get closer to the start of training camp next month and the eventual preseason games in October for the defending NBA champion New York Knicks, fans are still wondering when the team will fill the vacant third center spot and who it will go to.

At this stage of the offseason, the free-agent center options aren’t spectacular for the Knicks, who just watched the Miami Heat reportedly sign Nick Richards on Thursday. There's also a guy like Hunter Dickinson, who could also be a strong two-way candidate for the Knicks.

Needless to say, this means Leon Rose will have to wait to see if teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Clippers, who have a dearth of talent at center, will cut someone before Opening Night.

However, the Pelicans and Clippers aren’t the only two teams with an abundance of frontcourt depth. The Utah Jazz are quietly loaded there too, which means Mo Bamba, for example, could be the odd man out in Salt Lake City, and that could work in the Knicks' favor.

Knicks should keep Mo Bamba on their radar over the next few months

The 28-year-old Bamba re-signed with the Jazz on a two-year, $7.21 million deal in July after receiving a couple of 10-day contracts with the club in the second half of last season. But there are a few stipulations in his contract, which could open the door for Bamba to be cut between now and Jan. 10, 2027.

For example, while the veteran center signed a two-year deal on paper, the first year (aka this upcoming season) is non-guaranteed. Additionally, only $200K of the 2026-27 campaign was guaranteed on July 15. The next guarantee will take place on Opening Night for $500,000, and it will become fully guaranteed in January. This gives Utah two more chances to shed money from its payroll if it explores a Bamba split.

The chances of Bamba’s deal becoming fully guaranteed in Utah are not high, given that the Jazz have Jusuf Nurkic, Lauri Markkanen, Kyle Filipowski, Ace Bailey and Jaxson Hayes. One could take it a step further and say that Hayes and Bamba have the same skill set as rim protectors and rim runners, setting up the latter to be cut. That's also the kind of archetype the Knicks need since they don’t have Mitchell Robinson.

In 10 regular-season games with the Jazz's G League affiliate, the Stars, the former first-round pick averaged 16.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game. And for the tip-off tournament games, he was ranked second in the G League with 102 defensive rebounds.

The Knicks could certainly use the help on the glass they have to replace Robinson (8.8 RPG, 4.6 defensive rebounds) and Ariel Hukporti’s production (2.9 RPG, 1.9 defensive rebounds).

The last time Bamba played considerable minutes and had a role in the Association was in 2024-25 with the Clippers (28 games) and the Pelicans (four games), where he averaged 4.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 12.9 minutes per game.

Depending on how preseason goes for Bamba, the Knicks could be a legit suitor for him either sometime next month or by the new year. That makes him a useful name to have in their backpocket in case their center search stretches into the regular season.

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