Why Knicks Should Re-Sign Precious Achiuwa

The New York Knicks have Isaiah Hartenstein, OG Anunoby and Alec Burks as unrestricted free agents on their roster this summer, but the next most important player looking for a new contract is Precious Achiuwa, who is restricted.

Restricted free agency means Achiuwa can’t sign a contract with a team that isn’t the Knicks. Instead, he can sign an offer sheet that would allow the Knicks to match any offer he gets from a team outside of New York. The Knicks would have two days to match if they wish to do so.

And it would be in the Knicks’ best interest to bring back Achiuwa so long as finances make sense.

“Consistency has been an issue for Achiuwa, but he was given a chance to play meaningful minutes on an injury-plagued roster in New York and held his own against bigger frontcourt players, averaging 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 24.2 minutes per game with the Knicks. Achiuwa is an intriguing small-ball center, since he’s athletic enough to switch onto quicker players. We’ll see how his market develops — he won’t be the Knicks’ highest priority in free agency, so he could end up getting squeezed if his qualifying offer remains in place and no club wants to take its chances with an offer sheet,” Hoops Rumors contributor Luke Adams wrote.

Achiuwa was seen as an afterthought when he was traded to the Knicks by the Toronto Raptors in the Anunoby deal. However, he ended up playing a big role for the team during the season with injuries piling up in the frontcourt. During the playoffs, Achiuwa averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Knicks.

The Knicks are expected to look for players on bargain-type deals, and Achiuwa could be a candidate for that. As a restricted free agent, Achiuwa may not sign his deal earlier than his unrestricted counterparts. That could give the Knicks an advantage if they wish to re-sign him, but Achiuwa should have some interest as a soon-to-be 25-year-old with potential to emerge into a quality backup 4 or 5 for a contending team.

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