Re-signed Precious Achiuwa
Signed Precious Achiuwa to a one-year, $6 million contract
When the New York Knicks traded for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa seemed like something of a throw-in to make the salaries match. The fourth-year big man had essentially plateued in his development, averaging around 21 minutes per game and putting up 9 points and 6 rebounds. At just 6'8" he was undersized to play center but could compete at either big spot, so he gave the Knicks some emergency depth.
Then the emergency struck, with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and then OG Anunoby all going down with injury in the playoffs. Suddenly Achiuwa was thrust into a major rotation role, and he played well enough to earn some trust from Tom Thibodeau.
That didn't mean much heading into the offseason, however, as the Knicks made the swing for Mikal Bridges and were hoping to bring starting center Isaiah Hartenstein back. The Oklahoma City Thunder paid much more than the Knicks could offer Hartenstein, and once he left the Knicks were stuck looking for a starting center.
They haven't been able to find one yet, but being able to pivot and sign Achiuwa for one year and $6 million allows them to shore up the position while not handicapping their ability to make a trade for someone else. His market dried up quickly as other bigs changed teams, and his lack of size at the 5 and lack of a consistent 3-point shot to play the 4 leaves him somewhat without a home.
There's little chance that Achiuwa blows up and the Knicks can't afford to bring him back next summer if they so wish, and $6 million is very reasonable for what he can provide - and all the more valuable given the spot the Knicks were in.
Grade: B