The New York Knicks have had one of the most exciting offseasons of any NBA team. Could more moves be on the way for the Knicks?
SNY.TV’s David Vertsberger put together a list of five potential trades that would help the Knicks land a new center after the Knicks lost Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.
One of the intriguing trade proposals has the Knicks sending forward Precious Achiuwa and future draft picks to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Kevin Looney. One important note: Such a deal would need to be either a sign-and-trade or a midseason deal because Achiuwa remains a free agent. Yet, Looney’s fit on the Knicks would make some sense, even if the logistics of the trade would need tweaking
The Warriors aren’t likely to be sellers in this market, but trading with the Knicks could net them extra ammo for pursuing one of their larger targets,” Vertsberger wrote in a July 24, 2024, story titled “5 potential Knicks trades for a center ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.”
Looney is a cleaner fit at the five for New York than Achiuwa, and Golden State can utilize both him and the picks going into next season.”
The Warriors retained Looney for the final season of a three-year, $22.5 million contract. Looney is slated to have an $8 million cap hit in 2024-25.
He would add some needed veteran experience to the Knicks roster as a three-time NBA champion. Looney has spent his entire nine-year NBA career with the Warriors. He averaged 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 74 appearances for Golden State last season, including 36 starts New York still has Mitchell Robinson on the roster, but he has had difficulty staying healthy. He appeared in only 31 games this year and missed the final six games of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference semifinal series to the Indiana Pacers, who took the series 4-3.
Achiuwa just finished a four-year, $12.5 million rookie deal.
SNY.TV’s Ian Begley reported that the Knicks continue to remain in contact with Achiuwa about a potential return. Last December, the Knicks acquired Achiuwa as well as OG Anunoby in a trade with the Toronto Raptors.
Mitchell Robinson, he’s on the roster. He’s here now, but you know he has a history of getting hurt,” Begley said on the July 13 episode of “SportsNite.” “So, you need a backup center who can start 30 games next season, and I know they’ve continued to be in touch with Precious Achiuwa, their own free agent. I think they’ve also had casual trade talks about some high-salaried veteran centers on the trade market.”
Achiuwa averaged 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game during 49 appearances for the Knicks. He also made 18 starts since arriving in New York.
He entered the NBA as a highly touted prospect given his McDonald’s All-American high school career at powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida followed by one collegiate season at Memphis. Achiuwa was the No. 20 overall selection by the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA draft.