Over the past few years, the frontcourt of the New York Knicks has been one of the strongest assets of the team, specifically with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. While Precious Achiuwa was a part of that group last season, the Knicks chose not to bring him back this year, instead opting to sign Guerschon Yabusele over the summer.
Now, Achiuwa is on the move, and even despite the injuries to New York’s big men to begin the season, they can no longer pick him up off the waivers for some much-needed depth. Most recently, it was announced by Shams Charania of ESPN that Achiuwa had signed a deal with the Sacramento Kings.
“Free agent Precious Achiuwa has agreed on a deal with the Sacramento Kings, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote in a post on X. “Achiuwa enters his sixth NBA season and gives the Kings immediate rebounding and defensive versatility.”
Last season with the Knicks, Achiuwa averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and one assist on 50.2% shooting in 57 appearances. After being drafted by the Miami Heat in 2020, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, then played on the Knicks for the past two years.
Achiuwa Signs With Kings
While not the most flashy addition, Achiuwa still being unsigned was somewhat of a surprise heading into the 2025-26 NBA season. There were rumors of a potential return to the Heat in the last few weeks of the offseason, but up until now, there was no news about a potential deal.
In a recent list by HoopsHype published before the season, Achiuwa was ranked as the third-best player available, behind only Ben Simmons and Malik Beasley, both of whom are still unsigned.
The numbers might not jump off the page, but in his six NBA seasons, the big man has proved to be a strong backup center. As he’s proven more beneficial in a reserve role, Achiuwa now heads to the Kings to likely play behind Domantas Sabonis.
“He joins a struggling Kings franchise attempting to generate some early-season momentum,” Anthony Slater wrote for ESPN about the news. “Sacramento is 2-5 after a loss in Denver on Monday night. Their defensive rating (118.3 points per 100 possessions) is fourth-worst in the NBA…Achiuwa is an immediate candidate to grab a bench role.”
The former Knicks center joins Russell Westbrook as the latest addition for this Sacramento team in flux. The 2017 MVP has played well in seven appearances, and the front office hopes Achiuwa can do the same, especially after the early-season injury concerns.
Along with Sabonis and Westbrook, the Kings have DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Dennis Schroder, but all, along with Achiuwa if he plays well, could be candidates to be moved once again at the trade deadline if the right deal comes around.
Knicks’ Big Man Struggles
The Achiuwa news comes as the Knicks have had notable struggles from their big men. Robinson and Yabusele have been limited, and Towns has been dealing with a lingering quad injury.
Towns is coming off an All-Star appearance last year and was tabbed as Jalen Brunson’s running mate as the two ‘top dogs’ of the team. Looking at the numbers, he’s played well, with averages of 20.4 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 40.8% shooting, but he’s been questionable for more than half of the team’s games so far.
In this opening-season span, Towns also had an eight-point game on 2/12 shooting against the Milwaukee Bucks. While he is obviously still not fully healthy after suffering the quad injury in training camp, much of the Knicks’ woes have fallen on his shoulders. He has taken the blame on multiple occasions, but as seen in the past, the New York faithful aren’t necessarily the most forgiving of fans.
The Towns’ struggles offensively have been obvious, but the lack of performance from both Robinson and Yabusele has also been notable. Robinson sat for the first five games of the year but has since started the last two, with a total of four points and 16 rebounds in 33 minutes. Yabusele’s been even less impactful, as in six games, he is averaging only 1.5 points in 10 minutes per night.
While there were questions about the Knicks’ frontcourt to begin the season, the floundering from all three isn’t the greatest sign. It is hard to expect Achiuwa to be playing big minutes if he were on the roster, but right now, Mike Brown having another center to at least experiment with wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
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