Former New York Knicks backup big man Precious Achiuwa is back on the open market this summer. He is one of the many free agents who remain unsigned with less than a month until the beginning of training camp.
Former Knicks center Precious Achiuwa is in contact with the Heat
Sun Sentinel’s Ira Waderman reported on Monday that Achiuwa and his first team, the Miami Heat, have been in contact during his free agency period.
“As often has been the case, the Miami Heat are looking to their past as a potential answer for a current question,” Waderman wrote. “In this case, the Heat have been in ongoing discussions with Precious Achiuwa, the team’s 2020 first-round pick, about a possible spot in the team’s power rotation, which is particularly limited at center.”
The Heat drafted Achiuwa with the 20th overall pick in the 2020 draft. He spent only his rookie season with Miami before being traded to the Toronto Raptors. In December 2023, he was traded to the Knicks as part of the OG Anunoby deal.
Achiuwa is not likely to return to the Knicks
Achiuwa spent the next season and a half with New York, where he averaged 7.1 points and 6.3 rebounds across 106 total games. He spent some time as a starter when injuries struck the team, and he was also the main backup center for them until Mitchell Robinson returned late last season.
It is unlikely that the Knicks will bring Achiuwa back, especially after they signed Guerschon Yabusele to a two-year, $12 million deal earlier this offseason. Achiuwa’s market is not steep, but at just 25 years of age, he can still develop into a more consistent rotation piece elsewhere.
Perhaps a reunion with the team that drafted him could be in order.