The New York Knicks woke up on July 1 as defending champions. By the end of the day, they had a hole in the middle of their roster big enough to drive a trade exception through.
Two backup centers walked out the door. Ariel Hukporti signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, which stings a little. Mitchell Robinson signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Boston Celtics, which stings a lot. The Knicks now have about $11 million in breathing room under the second apron to fill three roster spots, and one of those spots has to be a real backup center.
If they can’t find one, fans can point at James Dolan’s obsession with avoiding the second apron. But that doesn’t change the math.
The depth chart is thin past the starting five
The Knicks are bringing back all five starters. That’s the good news. The backcourt backups are fine — Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride. Mohamed Diawara will get more run up front. But after that? It gets sketchy fast.
Pacome Dadiet is 6-foot-9 and still looked lost last season. He might be on the move or headed for another development year. McBride could also be trade bait if the Knicks need to sweeten a deal for a center. It’s unlikely both get moved since the Knicks don’t need to clear more cap space now that Robinson is off the books. But one of them could be gone.
So the priority is clear. New York needs a backup center. After that, they can afford to be picky about the last couple roster spots. But the center problem is real and it has to be solved now.
Three names to consider
Karl-Anthony Towns is the only true center on the roster. He played better defense and rebounded harder in the second half of last season and through the playoffs. But one big man is not enough for a team trying to repeat.
Andre Drummond averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds for the 76ers last season. He shot 63 percent from the line and a weirdly respectable 35.6 percent from three. But Drummond doesn’t want another minimum deal. He said in a YouTube interview that taking a pay cut the last four or five years has been hard. So he might cost more than the Knicks want to spend.
Nick Richards finished the season strong with Chicago, posting 9.7 points and 7.6 boards in 22.4 minutes over his last 20 games. He’s not Robinson defensively and he won’t bully anyone, but he’s playable.
Kevon Looney is only 30 but moves like he’s 36. His mobility is shot, his rebounding has slipped, and he’s just 6-foot-8. Not ideal as a backup center.
The Knicks could grab two of these guys. Neither is Robinson, but having two bodies means more fouls to give and the ability to pick matchups. That’s something.
Right now the options look thinner than they did yesterday. But New York is still the defending champion. The talent is there. If they don’t add a backup center soon, the championship defense could get shaky before Summer League even tips off.
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