Knicks Big Man Search
The New York Knicks are coming off their first 50-win season in over a decade but after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency they need to look for another big. They only have two centers on the roster, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims. Having Robinson go back into the starting lineup isn't much of an issue, besides some health concerns, but Sims as the backup is still a question. He has yet to be a consistent rotation player in his young career. Matter of fact, in his three seasons in the league he has only played in over 50 games once.
There aren't any free-agent centers that can be seen as reliable backups for the Knicks. The team still has seven of their own first-round picks that they could trade to find the big man they need. According to an X account, "BigKnicksEnergy," a league source reported that the Knicks are interested in Charlotte Hornets center Nick Richards and are willing to move Miles McBride in a potential deal. Also mentioned that they're comfortable with the idea of having Tyler Kolek, who was the 34 pick in this year's draft, as the backup point guard. Richards has proven to be a reliable backup center and averaged career highs this past season in points (9.7), rebounds (8), and field-goal percentage (69.1).
Richards isn't the only center on the Knicks' radar as reported by Marc Berman, a former writer for the team, that they've also shown interest in Detroit Piston Jalen Duran and Houston Rocket Alperen Sengun. Sengun is entering the final year of his rookie deal and it was surprising to see both parties not get an extension done since he can clearly be a cornerstone piece of the franchise. Duran still has one more year left on his rookie deal. Both young players averaged career highs this past season in points and rebounds. The Knicks are already looking like a huge threat in the East, especially after the Mikal Bridges trade, but if they want to evenly match the newly championed Boston Celtics then they need to make some upgrades to their center depth.
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