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The NBA champion New York Knicks are set to enter the 2026-27 season with Karl-Anthony Towns as their starting center and Andre Drummond as his backup.
However, it appears the Knicks aren’t comfortable with Mohamed Diawara as the third option behind Towns and Drummond, explaining why they’re reportedly targeting the Los Angeles Lakers’ former 6-foot-11 center target who’s made $157 in his career.
“NYK was interested in Jonas Valanciunas in ‘24 offseason,” SNY’s Ian Begley reported on Thursday, a day after Valanciunas was waived by the Denver Nuggets."
"We had a lot of talks with different teams. New York (was) one of them,” he said then. NYK will have solid depth at center if Valanciunas, a former client of Leon Rose, chooses Knicks in his current free agency. He is among centers on their radar.”
Before signing Kevon Looney on Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania mentioned that the Lakers were interested in adding Valanciunas to their roster as Walker Kessler’s backup. With Los Angeles clearly out of the running, the Knicks should be in good shape to sign the 34-year-old veteran center if they choose to pursue him aggressively.
Valanciunas averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds as the Nuggets' second-unit center last season, shooting 58.2% from the field in 65 contests. The former Toronto Raptors All-Rookie center isn’t a stellar athlete and has his limitations on both ends of the floor.
That said, Valanciunas could provide the Knicks with a veteran bench presence at center who could be useful in shorthanded situations.
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