If there is one area of concern about the New York Knicks roster, it's at center.
As of now, the Knicks' center rotation consists of Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, and Jericho Sims.
Robinson is a talented defensive anchor, but oft-injured — he's topped 70 games only once and played just 31 games twice in the last four years. Achiuwa showed promise and played well for the Knicks last year but is slightly undersized, a tad unproven, and inconsistent. Sims has been up-and-down in limited minutes and is also unproven, with just 138 career games over three years.
Thus, it's widely expected that the Knicks will explore trading for another reliable big body during the NBA season.
On The Athletic, analyst and former Memphis Grizzlies Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hollinger suggested two surprising names: Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic.
Hollinger wrote:
"This is where waiting for the season to play out makes some sense because the best [centers] are ones that will become available if certain teams decide to pivot toward the future.
"For instance, if Golden State struggles and decides to make Draymond Green available, or the Suns are in a similar situation and decide to cash in their Jusuf Nurkić stock, those are two names that would make a lot of sense in New York. Green might be out of their price range asset-wise and second-apron-wise, but I don’t think Nurkić would be."
Hollinger also mentioned the Portland Trail Blazers' Robert Williams III as a potential target — a player we had also named as a trade candidate earlier this summer.
Green is the most shocking and intriguing name of the bunch. It's hard to imagine the Warriors moving their defensive anchor, but then again, the team also let Klay Thompson walk in free agency this summer. As Hollinger notes, if things go sideways and Golden State blows it up, Green's ability to play small-ball center and make plays out of the pick-and-roll would be an excellent fit with the Knicks.
As Hollinger also notes, it's unclear if the Knicks would have the assets to land him.
Nurkic is also a surprising name, as he doesn't jump to mind as a Tom Thibodeau-style player. However, Nurkic is better on defense than his reputation suggests, and he's a more skilled offensive center than any the Knicks currently have.
Availability is also a concern with Nurkic, however — while he played 76 games last season, he had played just 153 total over the four seasons beforehand.
As Hollinger noted, other players may become available during the season that could spark the Knicks' interest.
Nonetheless, Hollinger suggested that adding another big man will be necessary, writing, "By February they’re going to want another player on the roster who is capable of playing fourth quarters in the middle."
