The New York Knicks are not likely to hold on to free agent Precious Achiuwa, per a Newsday report. Achiuwa averaged 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds a game this past season.
“Achiuwa seemed to be most likely to be gone among players who were contributors this season, not signing back with the Knicks last summer until all other options were exhausted,” Newsday's Steve Popper wrote. “But there was a dissatisfaction with playing time under Thibodeau — and the coaching staff having equal dissatisfaction about the defense and consistency provided by Achiuwa.”
Achiuwa spent about two seasons with the Knicks, after coming over in a trade from the Toronto Raptors. He played limited minutes this past season, helping in the team's front court.
Achiuwa saw his minutes decrease in New York this past season. He averaged just 20.5 minutes per game this year, while he logged 24.2 minutes of playing time in New York per game in the 2023-24 campaign.
New York is likely to lose some players, due to free agency and the team's coaching change. The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.
Article Continues BelowThings will likely look much different in New York next year. The team is hopeful to hire a solid coach, but it appears there is no frontrunner for the job. Former Villanova coach Jay Wright took himself out of the running. St. John's basketball coach Rick Pitino is also not interested.
The Knicks made the playoffs four times in five years under Thibodeau. This past season was the team's first trip to the conference finals in more than 20 years. New York's next coach will face extreme pressure to win a title.
A few names being mentioned as possible candidates include former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, as well as Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.
The last time New York won a NBA championship was in 1973.