Ranking key Knicks free agents by likelihood to return next season

3. Precious Achiuwa (restricted free agent)

When the Dec. 30 trade happened, the focus was on Anunoby, not Precious Achiuwa. Anunoby was still the star of the show, but Achiuwa quickly made a name for himself, too. He averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.1 assists per game during the regular season (18 starts). With Hartenstein on a minutes restriction and Robinson out, Achiuwa stepped up.

In the playoffs, Achiuwa's minutes dropped. He went a couple of games without playing, but he still exceeded expectations for the second half of his season in New York.

The 24-year-old will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Knicks have until June 29 to offer him a one-year qualifying offer. If the Knicks suspect that Hartenstein will leave in free agency or want to bolster their already lacking frontcourt depth, maybe they'll retain Achiuwa.

Similar to this past season, Achiuwa would continue to be a backup, but could step into the starting lineup when needed. If New York keeps Hartenstein and Anunoby, the organization will be approaching the second tax apron. Keeping Achiuwa shouldn't be a priority but it could happen.