Report: Knicks Eying Two Centers

Mikal Bridges’ introduction may have been an appetizer, because New York Knicks president Leon Rose is reportedly “cooking.”

Longtime Knicks insider Marc Berman noted that, while Rose did not speak at the Tarrytown statements that officially introduced his latest import Bridges as a Manhattanite, he has his eye on the glaring hole this offseason’s transaction have produced.

“(Rose) didn’t talk, but he’s still cooking, wants to make big center move after Philly’s two additions,” Berman noted. “Heard Houston’s Sengun has been on radar, even Detroit’s Jalen Duren, and that was before Pistons signed Paul Reed.”

Reed, recently released from the Philadelphia 76ers, was the latest veteran free agent to escape the Knicks’ grasp. New York has been left yearning for interior depth after Isaiah Hartenstein moved to Oklahoma City on a three-year, $87 million deal: left behind in the starter’s role is the reliable Mitchell Robinson, who was limited to 37 games due to an ankle issue last season and behind him are Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukporti.

Sims, one of three drafted players on the current Knicks roster (next to Robinson and Miles McBride), has never had a lasting role in the Knicks’ rotation while Hukporti is an obvious project after joining as the 58th and final pick of last month’s draft.

Sengun, who hails from Turkey, was one of the most pleasant surprise of last season, averaging 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds en route to a third-place finish in the Most Improved Player chase won by Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey. Interest in Duren, who put up a 13.8-point, 11.6-rebound double-double in his sophomore season with the Detroit Pistons, is nothing new for the Knicks, who reportedly sought to add him with the 11th pick of the 2023 draft before eventually dealing it to Oklahoma City to build a Jalen Brunson budget.

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