Knicks Must Re-Sign Precious Achiuwa

Precious Achiuwa is a free agent still and the New York Knicks would be better off signing him.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) warms up before game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks have two open roster spots, and they need to fill at least one of them with a big man.

The Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they have yet to replace him with another player. Arguably the best player left on the market is Precious Achiuwa, which is why the Knicks need to come to an agreement with their former player.

"The Knicks don't have a backup big man behind Mitchell Robinson. And that's kind of a big deal when the big fella has fought the injury bug often enough that he's reached the 70-game mark in only one of his six NBA seasons," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley writes. "This isn't meant as a slight to Jericho Sims, who has a Robinson-esque blend of size and bounce. It's just that Sims hasn't logged 900 minutes in a season and only topped 600 minutes once. The Knicks might need more insurance than he can offer. This position group could get dicey if they're unable to convince Precious Achiuwa to re-sign."

Achiuwa was a restricted free agent at the beginning of the offseason, but the Knicks had to renounce his rights in order to pay OG Anunoby his big extension worth $212.5 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The Knicks need somebody, and Achiuwa is the best big man free agent available. He knows the system, has chemistry with his teammates and is capable of playing both power forward and center.

If the Knicks don't sign Achiuwa, they are left with two options: sign someone of lesser value and hope he can be a backup for Robinson or trade for a veteran and give up an asset or two in order to get him.

Either way, signing Achiuwa is the best possible outcome for the Knicks and while there is no rush in the dead of the offseason, it would certainly help New York sleep better at night when he officially come back into the fold.

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