The New York Knicks lost center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency. Hartenstein, who had to fill in for Mitchell Robinson when he went down with an injury, proved to be a valuable player who could make an impact on a championship team.
With his departure, the Knicks could look to sign a new backup center. Chris Herring of ESPN suggested one in his latest column, listing six of the top free agents still available. Herring wrote that the Knicks should sign the former Philadelphia 76ers center Paul Reed.
“The 25-year-old big man, whom the Philadelphia 76ers waived to make space to sign Martin, would fit seamlessly on the Knicks, who lost Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. New York still has Mitchell Robinson — who is fantastic on the offensive glass (6.7 rebounds per 36 minutes) and as a defensive presence — when he’s available; the center has played more than 70 games in a season once over his six-year NBA career,” Herring wrote on July 8.
“Reed, however, played in all 82 regular-season games for the Sixers last season, and he is almost equally relentless on the boards, having finished ninth in the league in offensive rebounding percentage among those who played in at least 60 contests this past season.”
Reed Made Comments About the Knicks
The New York Knicks played the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Philadelphia had to win their Play-In Game against the Miami Heat to get the No. 7 seed, which paired them with a series against the Knicks.
If they were to have lost, they would’ve played the Boston Celtics if they won the Play-In Game to get the No. 8 seed.
But the Knicks played the 76ers, and Reed made comments about New York being “the easier team” in an episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV.
“We ain’t ducking no smoke, but yeah, we wanted the Knicks matchup, of course. That’s the easier team I guess,” Reed said. “But you know it’s going to be fun, we match up pretty well. They got a great guard, we got a great guard, we also got Joel, MVP, so like you said earlier, he’s one of the most unstoppable guys in the league right now. They’re gonna have to send triple teams, and he’s gonna get everybody else involved.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart responded, “I don’t care,” when asked about his comments. The Knicks eventually won the series and sent Reed and the 76ers home.
How Reed Could Help the Knicks
Despite the comments from Reed, the New York Knicks could use a backup center and he’s arguably the best remaining on the market.
In the 2023-24 season, he played the most minutes in his career and appeared in all 82 games. Reed averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds. He shot 54.0% from the field.
Reed seemed to understand his role with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he’d likely play in a similar one in New York.
With Robinson dealing with multiple injuries throughout his career, the Knicks need a legitimate backup center. Reed could provide them with that and even start when needed.
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