After the first wave of free agency and the draft, the New York Knicks lost the most coveted center on the market, Isaiah Hartenstein. Leaving them scraping the barrel as to how to replace him. Hamstrung by being in the luxury tax, having no cap space, plus staying within the second apron; the Knicks have limited money to offer. Extending OG Anunoby to a massive deal worth $213 million, plus trading for Mikal Bridges from the Nets in a sensational but costly, trade with Brooklyn. They’re gearing up for a run at the Boston Celtics for the NBA title, the only question remains who plays center for the Knicks? It’s slim pickings in free agency and the trade options are limited as most of their tradeable assets were used for the Bridges trade.
In an otherwise strong summer, arguably the Knicks’ first day of the draft was questionable. The Pacome Dadiet selection was an odd pick. He’s a developmental wing when the Knicks are flush with wings. At 18 years old, the Frenchman appeared as a draft and stash guy, when the Knicks needed help immediately. They should have been more aggressive in trading up and grabbing Yves Missi or Kel’el Ware -both more capable of helping right away to replace Hartenstein.
Although they did land an absolute steal with backup point guard Tyler Kolek, with their second-round pick, he is the perfect backup to Jalen Brunson.
Who Will Play Center For The Knicks?
The main choice of who plays center for the Knicks is Mitchell Robinson. Without question, he’s one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. His defensive IQ and elite work on the offensive glass make him valuable. Furthermore, Mitch was the best offensive rebounder in the playoffs. Ranking first in OReb% with 18%. Joel Embiid yanking on his ankle in mid-air cost Robinson, and possibly the Knicks a shot at the Conference Finals when he went down, as they had no size to counter the Pacers. If the Knicks got a similar Mitch to what they had in 2022/23 they will be in ok shape. Mitch ranked fourth among centers in offensive rebounds and top 10 in blocks.
However, the Knicks would be unwise to not have any competition for him at the five. Mitch has missed 74 regular season games in his last two seasons. He’s coming off multiple ankle surgeries, even when healthy he still only averaged 24 minutes last year. His problem isn’t talent, it’s health and it’s a serious problem.
Robinson still has virtually no offensive game, he tends to clog the paint when playing beside Julius Randle, and the Knicks will miss the offensive chemistry between I-Hart and Brunson. Hartenstein’s work on screens was huge to the Knicks’ offense.
Robinson only shot 40% from the free throw line last year, a career low. Furthermore, he was the most inefficient of his career in terms of field goal percentage at 57% down from 67%, due to his poor hands. The Knicks will need a career year from Mitchell Robinson barring another move. If they go the route of relying solely on Robinson, it will likely be a mistake.
Analyzing The Loss of Hartenstein
By all accounts, the Knicks did all they could to retain Isaiah Hartenstein, but they were limited by what they could offer. They offered 16 million per year, $72 million in total. Whereas, the OKC Thunder offered annually 29 million per year and agreed on $87 million total. At the end of the day, the fact OKC could offer essentially double the annual salary per year sealed the deal. He now joins a title contender. Hartenstein’s size strength and rim protection should elevate OKC in the West.
Make no mistake, this is a loss for the Knicks. They’ve lost the durability, productivity, and brute force of Hartenstein. Notably, he ranked third in the league in screen assists during the playoffs, due to his pick-and-roll partnership with Brunson.
The Knicks had a top-10 offense and top-10 defense with Hartenstein as a starter. Hartenstein notably ranked second in defensive box plus/minus. Also, 85 blocks and 87 steals put him in elite company in the league, only a handful of players in the league managed that. His lethal push floater led him to shoot 66% as a starter.
As valuable as he was, in fairness, Hartenstein also was a liability on the floor against Joel Embiid and Myles Turner during the playoffs. He’s not irreplaceable, but he leaves a huge hole for sure that needs to be filled properly.
Who Plays Center For the Knicks After Hartenstein in FA?
It’s slim pickings in free agency after a flood of centers flew off the board in the initial wave. Did the Knicks misjudge the market or their draft? Or was this their plan all along?
The Knicks liked Jonas Valanciunas but he’s gone. They were also in on Goga Bitadze but he extended with the Magic. The Knicks simply don’t have the money in FA to compete with other teams, as they only have a Mid-Level Exception of around $5 million to offer which seems too small to bring in a quality backup. Plus the Bridges deal isn’t official as the Knicks need to make the money work.
Reserve big man Jericho Sims has zero lateral movement, he leaves his feet too much on defense, and he’s simply not a viable option for the Knicks to be serious about playing more than garbage time minutes.
One target appears to be bringing back Precious Achiuwa. Precious is more of a forward due to being too small to guard bigger centers at 6-foot-8. However, his defensive acumen and admirable play at both positions after arriving via trade from the Raptors in the OG deal were invaluable. The Knicks could look to bring him back and have him back up Robinson and hope they get something from Ariel Hukporti their draft selection late in the second round.
Otherwise, that leaves only a handful of names Daniel Theis or Thomas Bryant. Slim pickings.
Possible Trade Options
The most likely option is the trade market. However, the Knicks don’t have many trade assets left after the Bridges trade. They have no remaining unprotected firsts to offer in a deal. Jericho Sims brings limited appeal. Miles McBride is really the only name, he’s on an absolute steal of a contract which will only become more valuable as he progresses as a backup 3-and-D Guard in the league.
On the trade market, Walker Kessler stands out. The Jazz just signed Drew Eubanks which makes Kessler expendable. He’d be a fantastic upgrade, but Danny Ainge drives a notorious hard bargain, to say the least. Most likely, it would cost McBride in a deal. At this stage, he’s the best trade name available. According to sources, the Knicks have checked in on him.
Otherwise, according to Ian Begley of SNY, Nick Richards of the Hornets is a name on the Knicks list of targets to acquire. He’s 7 foot, 245lb with an EFG of 69% which is very good, with a 5.1 Win Shares. He’s also averaging 8 total rebounds, finishing with 74 blocks for the year. I like the prospect of a Richards more than any remaining names in Free Agency. He has a very affordable contract and could improve under Tom Thibodeau. Either him or Kessler is the best option.
Finally, it’s possible the Knicks look to add Day’Ron Sharpe to the deal the Knicks have in place with the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges. The Knicks are loathed to give up McBride in a deal, however.
Longterm, the Knicks will likely make Julius Randle available as he’s due an extension next year. With the Knicks committed to paying OG, Bridges and soon to be a Jalen Brunson max- extension, it will make Randle the odd man out. They shouldn’t rush to trade him in the meantime, as multiple All-Star bigs don’t grow on trees.
Perhaps, the Knicks could roll out Randle as a small-ball five with OG at the four. The issue is, that Tom Thibodeau would have to sacrifice the rim protection and defense he requires. Therefore, it is imperative that they find an upgrade at the center position.
