Knicks to Sign Former First-Round Pick with ‘Untapped Upside’

Getty Chuma Okeke handling the basketball during a July 15 game against the New York Knicks.

As the New York Knicks work to round out their 2024-2025 roster, they’ve signed former first-round pick Chuma Okeke. Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype was first with reports.

https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1819055217687552152

Okeke was selected with the 16th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He appeared in 47 games last season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds.

The details of the deal are unreported. It’s likely this is a training camp invite for Okeke, who didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Magic and made an unrestricted free agent earlier this summer.

The 25-year-old will have an opportunity to earn a roster spot. New York is currently at 14 guaranteed contracts for next season. They also have two unclaimed two-way contract spots, which Okeke could qualify for.

Knicks Focusing On Depth In 2024-2025 Roster

When the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals earlier this year, they were limping into their matchup the Indiana Pacers.

New York was without all of Bojan Bogdanovic, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and OG Anunoby to start the series. Anunoby returned for four minutes of their Game 7 loss, but the rest remained sidelined.

The front office’s roster moves this summer seem to indicate a prioritization on depth. Players they’re rounding out the roster with have real NBA experience.

Cameron Payne — who they inked to a one-year, $3.3 million deal — has appeared in 405 regular-season games in nine NBA seasons. The 29-year-old point guard has also played in 58 playoff games, three times as many as the Knicks’ leader in Randle (13).

Keita Bates-Diop, acquired in the Mikal Bridges trade, has played in 283 regular season games. And the recently signed Okeke appeared in 189 over four years with the Magic.

New York can’t afford another postseason without multiple members of their rotation. But should they find themselves there again next May, they’re better positioned to succeed with this roster.

Knicks Re-Sign Precious Achiuwa

What ultimately became a signing in waiting finally happened on July 30, when Precious Achiuwa re-signed with the Knicks.

https://x.com/wojespn/status/1818398396824031431

“Precious Achiuwa has agreed on a one-year, $6 million deal to return to the Knicks, his representative Raymond Brothers tells ESPN,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted.

He was the last remaining in-house free agent who’s future was undetermined. And with a center room featuring only Robinson and Jericho Sims, New York needed some added flexibility.

Achiuwa isn’t a natural center. But he played some minutes there for the Knicks last season. 36% of all of his regular-season minutes were at the five, according to Basketball Reference’s Play-by-Play chart.

They typically weren’t positive minutes for New York though. According to Cleaning the Glass, in 1011 possessions with Achiuwa at center, the Knicks were outscored by 3.2 points per 100 possessions.

On the flip side, in the 1194 possessions he manned the power forward spot, New York came out on top, outscoring opponents by 1.6 points per 100 possessions.

Achiuwa’s role remains undefined but the team he plays for isn’t. With him returning to the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau can begin plotting out the 24-year-old’s role on next season’s team.

And elsewhere, Leon Rose and the New York front office can account for $6 million more in guaranteed salary that can be used in trades down the line, should they swing big at the NBA’s trade deadline midseason.