Ugonna Onyenso Giving Knicks Early Reasons to Regret Trading Him

Summer League earlier this month was a chance for the Knicks to not only evaluate the players they drafted but also the ones they didn't. Virginia big man Ugonna Onyenso uniquely falls into both categories, as New York selected him No. 53 overall, but quickly traded him to the Pistons for cash considerations.

Even at the time, it was a questionable move, with Mitchell Robinson a threat to walk ahead of free agency. But in the aftermath of Summer League, the Knicks' decision looks even worse.

Ugonna Onyenso looks like a rookie big the Knicks were better off keeping

Though Onyenso didn't excel as a scorer (2.8 ppg) in Las Vegas, he made his presence felt in the paint with 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game over five appearances. This production came on 17.7 minutes per game, too.

Sure, his numbers aren't stratospheric. But they demonstrate a player who made the most of his limited time on the floor. They also showcase a player who focuses on where he can help the team most, given his emphasis on rebounding and shot-blocking.

In his signature outing in Vegas, Onyenso did his best Robinson impression with a staggering eight rebounds and five (!) blocks in 21 minutes. Half of his boards were even on the offensive end, helping create extra possessions for his team by simply hustling and not giving up on the play.

Looking back from New York's perspective, this has to sting. Onyenso was well worth taking a flyer on at the end of the second round given his size (6-foot-11 barefoot, 7-foot-4 wingspan, nearly 240 pounds) and profile as an athletic big with an affinity for blocking shots.

The team made the bet that moving Onyenso wouldn't be worth harping on, despite the clear shades of Robinson's game that were hard to ignore. This was likely due to confidence that they could re-sign Ariel Hukporti and potentially even Robinson himself, while also creating some extra roster and financial wiggle room without another rookie obligation.

Yet there was a major risk that the Knicks' vision may not go according to plan, and that's what played out in free agency. New York declined to make Hukporti a restricted free agent in hopes of saving around $200K to bring him back on a minimum, but instead the 76ers poached him for over a million more than his expected going rate.

That miscalculation is now at the center of the Knicks' offseason without any third big on the roster behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond. Hukporti walking also means the team doesn't have a promising center in a developmental role, which hurts the long-term outlook.

It's debatable if Onyenso is capable of being an immediate third center in a rotation, especially for the defending champs if he stayed with New York. But he'd at least be an option the team could consider, and he's got enough potential that grooming him to be the future main backup is a worthwhile endeavor.

Rubbing salt in the Knicks' wound after trading him is the fact that Onyenso signed a two-way deal with Detroit. That makes moving him even less of a logical choice, since he could've been had on a contract that doesn't impact the salary cap or carry much in terms of commitment.

He's locked in 💪

OFFICIAL – The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed rookie center Ugonna Onyenso to a two-way contract. pic.twitter.com/O9847TkVac
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) July 6, 2026

This dispels any notion that he needed to be moved for financial reasons. He wasn't in any position of power in contract talks as one of the last picks of the second round, so a two-way would've been something he'd happily agree to.

Then the Knicks would've had cheap center help with promise secured, and the option to keep him in the G-League or even cut him later this season if the experiment went awry. So even if New York did have some questions about the Virginia alum, the team still could've held onto him without essentially any risk and plenty of rewards possible.

Who knows if New York truly selected Onyenso out of interest or simply as trade bait. But that doesn't ease the fact that he was in the Knicks' hands, and he's now displaying upside the team could use for another franchise instead.

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