The New York Knicks suffered another blow in their pursuit of a replacement for Ariel Hukporti.
On Wednesday, July 15, news broke that Jonas Valanciunas had officially signed a two-year deal with Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas. As such, the veteran big man’s 14-year tenure in the NBA has come to an end.
Valanciunas was one of the best free-agent big men left on the market. Striking out means the Knicks will now be forced to search far and wide if they wish to add some much-needed depth to the center position.
Currently, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond are the two senior centers on the Knicks roster. Ideally, they will add a third, ensuring that should Towns or Drummond be forced to miss some playing time, Mike Brown has an ample replacement on the bench.
In fairness, a third-string backup role never made sense for Valanciunas. The 33-year-old played in 65 games last season, starting 6 of them. He averaged 8.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per night, shooting 60.2% from 2-point range and 30.8% from deep.
Valanciunas is still a highly capable second-string big. It’s easy to see why the potential opportunity with the Knicks failed to get his interest.
Knicks Could Target A Big Via Trade
If the remaining bigs in free agency don’t entice New York, the front office could still explore the trade market. According to Steven Simineri of Knicks on SI, New York would be wise to turn their attention toward Karlo Matkovic of the New Orleans Pelicans.
âThe Bosnia and Herzegovina native has the versatility to serve as center or power forward. He plays above the rim on both ends and has proved, albeit on a small volume, that he can knock down outside shots,â Simineri wrote. âMatkovic is a great vertical athlete and uses his strength and nose for the ball to grab contested rebounds.â
Simineri continued.
ââ¦The Knicks are seeking a third center to add to the equation, either through trade or a thinning free agent market. They can tempt Joe Dumars with the extra draft capital they recently picked up and/or someone like Tyler Kolek to bolster the Pelicansâ backcourt depth.â
Matkovic played in 62 games for the Pelicans last season. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds, shooting 71.7% from two-point range and 42.2% from deep.
Knicks Lost Two Bigs This Summer
The Knicks find themselves in this situation after losing Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics in free agency and then allowing Hukporti to walk.
Fortunately for New York, Robinson and Hukporti are the only members of last season’s championship-winning roster who aren’t returning. Nevertheless, the front office must find a third-string big in order to ensure there’s enough depth in Mike Brown’s rotation once the season starts.
Right now, the decision to let both Robinson and Hukporti leave is under scrutiny from the fanbase. The only way to change that opinion is to land whoever the team decides to target next. Otherwise, the Knicks could enter the new season with a serious question mark surrounding the team’s depth at the center position.
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