The New York Knicks still need a third big to fill out their depth at the five spot, though at this point, they don't appear to be all that impressed by the options available on the free agent market.
According to SNY's Ian Begley, the ball club has been busy keeping tabs on "several free agent centers," though they have been reluctant to have one take over the 15 and final spot on their title defense roster.
While some may view this as a sign that none are realistic candidates, the Knicks insider is under the impression that New York may be willing to eventually allow them to audition for the third center role, as he noted that "you can expect" them to invite multiple veterans to their training camp in late September should Leon Rose and company not trade for someone beforehand.
Knicks could hold center auditions during training camp
Per Begley, the Knicks have enough room to sign up to eight players to training camp deals.
This abundance of open spots could be a primary reason as to why the front office doesn't appear all that eager to ink any of the current free-agent centers to their final standard-contract vacancy.
Throughout this Rose-led regime, the Knicks have proven quite methodical with their approach to team building. The drawn-out search for a third center could very well be all part of their masterful strategy.
It's not as if the free agent market is void of intriguing options at the five.
From Hall of Fame-bound veterans like Kevin Love to oft-buzzed-about targets such as Nick Richards, there are certainly names out there that could be worth looking into. In fact, based on Begley's reporting, it's likely that New York has already been keeping tabs on a number of them.
However, considering they are newly minted NBA Champions on a quest to break a nearly decade-long streak of no title repeats, making the right decisions when it comes to this roster opening is vital.
Clearly, none of these available talents are moving the needle for the Knicks as is.
With this, instead of just jumping the gun and just snatching up a steady and highly experienced Bismack Biyombo, for example, they should look to bide their time and have a number of candidates square off against one another once camps open up.
They have the opportunity to be patient with filling this final roster slot. Unless someone like New Orleans' Yves Missi suddenly becomes available for a rather affordable price on the trade market, why wouldn't they want to take their time in finding the most optimal fit?
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