Precious Achiuwa Rumors

Heat Notes: 2026, Rozier, Achiuwa, Settle, Young

September 11th, 2025 at 10:33pm CST by Luke Adams

While the idea of opening up cap room in 2026 was once a goal for the Heat, that’s no longer the case, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who notes that several potential marquee ’26 free agents have signed contract extensions that will keep them off the market.

The Heat still want to maintain flexibility going forward, but that will likely be more about having room below the luxury tax line than creating cap space, Jackson explains.

Outlining what it would look like for Miami to operate either over or under the 2026/27 cap, Jackson points out that generating a meaningful chunk of cap room would likely require the club to part ways with both Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell. Operating over the cap appears to be the more “prudent” path for the Heat next summer, Jackson concludes.

Here’s more on the Heat:

After reporting earlier this week that the Heat have been in contact with Precious Achiuwa and have mulled the idea of waiving Terry Rozier, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) digs a little deeper into that subject, exploring why Miami has considered that path. As Winderman details, Rozier is a potential bounce-back candidate and may be a better player than Achiuwa in a vacuum, but the veteran guard could also end up buried on a crowded backcourt depth chart, whereas the team has a more pressing need up front.
Although the Heat’s training camp won’t formally get underway until the week of September 29, several players are already back on the practice court at Kaseya Center for drills, Winderman writes within a look at the team’s roster. Winderman confirms in the same story that Miami – which currently has a full 21-man roster – is still expected to sign undrafted rookie free agent Steve Settle to an Exhibit 10 contract at some point before the regular season, as previously reported.
The Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, acquired Jahmir Young‘s returning rights from the Grand Rapids Gold in a three-team trade that sent Bryson Warren‘s rights to the Westchester Knicks and Moses Brown‘s rights to the Gold (the Nuggets‘ affiliate), per a press release. Young was one of four players who signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Heat on Thursday, so if he’s waived before the season and then decides to play in the G League, the Skyforce would have his rights.

Heat In Contact With Precious Achiuwa

September 8th, 2025 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

12:04pm: According to Jackson’s source, the Heat have not made a contract offer to Achiuwa due to their proximity to the luxury tax but expressed a possible interest in doing so in the future.

Jackson hears that Achiuwa “would welcome” a return to Miami, noting that the Nigerian big man still has a home in the area. The Heat will remain in contact with Achiuwa, who has received interest from “several other teams,” Jackson adds.

10:49am: The Heat have been engaged in ongoing discussions with free agent forward/center Precious Achiuwa, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). According to Winderman, Achiuwa is one of multiple big men the team has been in touch with as it considers ways to upgrade its frontcourt rotation.

As Winderman details, Bam Adebayo has expressed a desire not to play significant minutes at the five, but Miami doesn’t have many other established options in the middle, with second-year center Kel’el Ware and rookie two-way big man Vladislav Goldin among the only alternatives. Nikola Jovic and Keshad Johnson are other frontcourt candidates for the Heat, but both are somewhat undersized for the center spot.

Reports last month indicated that the Heat were considering free agent big men, including Kai Jones and Trey Lyles. Former Heat center Thomas Bryant also remains unsigned, Winderman notes, though the club’s level of interest in him is unclear.

While Miami currently has an open spot on its projected 15-man regular season roster, adding a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract would push the team’s salary over the luxury tax line. As a result, the front office has considered the idea of waiving Terry Rozier, Winderman writes.

Buyout talks with Rozier haven’t gained any traction, Winderman clarifies, but the guard’s $26.64MM salary isn’t quite fully guaranteed — Rozier’s partial guarantee is worth $24.92MM, so waiving him would generate about $1.72MM in extra cap flexibility, which would give the Heat enough room below the tax line to replace him with a new 14th man.

According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), the idea of cutting Rozier has been discussed “a lot” internally, but there are other pathways the Heat could take. Waiting until December, when a prorated veteran’s minimum contract would fit under the tax line, is one possibility.

Miami could also temporarily exceed the tax line by signing a 15th man now, then duck back below the tax by waiving Rozier on or before January 7, since his partial guarantee won’t increase at all by then. However, as Winderman points out, if Rozier were to suffer a season-ending injury, the Heat would be required to pay his full salary, which would mean they’d need to find another way to get out of tax territory.

Achiuwa, who will turn 26 later this month, began his career with the Heat as the No. 20 overall pick in 2020. He was sent to the Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason and has spent the past season-and-a-half with the Knicks after being traded from Toronto to New York along with OG Anunoby in December 2023.

Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.

Precious Achiuwa Reportedly Drawing Interest From Panathinaikos

August 1st, 2025 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Having failed to land Jonas Valanciunas last month, the Greek club Panathinaikos remains on the lookout for frontcourt help and reportedly has NBA free agent big man Precious Achiuwa on its radar.

Kevin Martorano of Sportando shares the details, citing a report from Vasilis Papatheodorou of SDNA, who says Achiuwa is on Panathinaikos’ short list of potential targets.

Achiuwa, who will turn 26 in September, has spent the past season-and-a-half with the Knicks after being traded from Toronto to New York along with OG Anunoby in December 2023. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.

Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. Still, he remains unsigned a month into free agency and a reunion with the Knicks appears off the table after New York signed Guerschon Yabusele to take his spot on the depth chart.

There’s no indication yet that there’s serious mutual interest between Achiuwa and Panathinaikos, but this is the first real rumor we’ve heard about him in several weeks, so it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Knicks Notes: Achiuwa, Tucker, Payne, Shamet, Free Agents, Brown

June 19th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Coming off a frustrating season in terms of playing time, Knicks big man Precious Achiuwa “started to see the game a lot differently” in January, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).

Bondy notes that Achiuwa was never able to win the full trust of former head coach Tom Thibodeau, dating back to his arrival in a trade with Toronto last season. Thibodeau inserted former Knick Jericho Sims into the starting lineup instead of Achiuwa when Karl-Anthony Towns was injured, and Achiuwa saw his minutes drop even more when Mitchell Robinson returned in March.

Bondy points out that Achiuwa got off to a strong start during the preseason, but wasn’t able to claim a regular role after missing the first 21 games of the regular season with a hamstring strain.

“You don’t want to start off the season hurt,” Achiuwa said. “And I was kind of having a really good preseason. So getting hurt right there kind of throws you off your rhythm. You get back, you’re trying to get back your rhythm. And then you’re battling getting your rhythm with inconsistencies in terms of playing time, playing style. It took a while for me. But it was tough.”

Achiuwa is exploring his options as he prepares for free agency at the end of the month. Bondy believes the chances of him staying in New York may have improved slightly due to the coaching change, but the team’s salary cap situation makes a return uncertain.

“Going to take a little bit of time from my end to think about that stuff,” Achiuwa said regarding free agency. “But that’s something that’s important. So when that time comes, I have people who I pay money to handle that type of stuff, who have those type of conversations. So we’ll see how that goes.”

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks are almost certain to decline their $3.5MM option on P.J. Tucker for next season, Bondy adds in the same piece, but that doesn’t mean he won’t re-sign. Although Tucker barely played after joining the team in March, he established himself as a strong locker room leader. Bondy notes that free agent guards Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are both close friends of Mikal Bridges, increasing the chances that they’ll return. Bondy identifies Al Horford, Nicolas Batum and Chris Paul as potential low-cost additions in free agency.
In a mailbag column, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic points to Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard as another possible free agent target. Edwards acknowledges that Kennard is likely to receive better offers than the $5.7MM he could get from New York, but adds that his status as a CAA client could give the Knicks an advantage. Edwards also names Horford as an MLE target, along with Spencer Dinwiddie and Trey Lyles.
Former Sacramento head coach Mike Brown conducted his interview with the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

Knicks Make Lineup Change; Robinson In, Hart Out

May 25th, 2025 at 6:38pm CST by Rory Maher

6:38pm: It’s official. Robinson will start and Hart will come off the bench tonight, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.

11:57am: The Knicks are “leaning toward” inserting center Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup for Sunday’s Game 3 in Indiana, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Robinson would replace wing Josh Hart in the starting five.

ESPN’s Shams Charania confirms the Knicks are giving “serious consideration” to the idea of benching Hart in favor of Robinson ahead of the pivotal game (story via Chris Herring of ESPN.com). New York lost both games at home to open the Eastern Conference Finals and finds itself in a 0-2 hole ahead of Sunday’s contest.

As Herring observes, the Knicks have gone with their usual starting group of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns for the entire season and playoffs when they’ve all been healthy, so this could mark the team’s first major lineup change of 2024/25.

Despite playing the most minutes of any five-man group this postseason and advancing past Detroit and Boston, the starters have struggled during their time together on the court and have had much more success when Robinson and/or Miles McBride are mixed in.

Replacing Hart with Robinson would slide Towns, who has struggled defensively against the Pacers, from center to power forward, Begley writes. Reserve big man Precious Achiuwa is a candidate to receive more playing time if Robinson moves into the starting lineup for Game 3, Begley adds. An impending free agent who appeared in 57 regular season games (20.5 minutes per contest), Achiuwa has barely seen any action in the playoffs, averaging just 4.8 MPG while appearing in five of the team’s 14 postseason games.

When asked about the potential lineup change, Hart said he believes he’s a starter and had a great year, but he also has no issue if head coach Tom Thibodeau decides to bring him off the bench (Twitter video link via Knicks Videos).

“I can’t sit here and preach about sacrifice and getting out of our own personal agendas and all that and then, a decision like that is made, then be mad at it and not want to sacrifice and not want to do that,” Hart said. “That’s not the kind of person that I am.”

Hart added that the Knicks need to improve in multiple areas to claw their way back into the series, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.

“Yeah, I think we need something drastic in terms of our energy and effort, our competitiveness,” Hart said.

After averaging 13.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.8 BPG in helping New York reach the ECF (12 games; 37.1 MPG), Hart has averaged 7.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.5 BPG through two games against Indiana (36.5 MPG). The Knicks have been outscored by 14 points during his time on the court in the series, whereas Robinson is plus-six in 50 minutes.

Knicks Notes: Towns, Starting Five, Robinson, Achiuwa

May 16th, 2025 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After averaging 24.4 points and 16.9 field goal tries per game during the regular season, Karl-Anthony Towns has attempted 17 or more shots in just three of 11 playoff outings so far this spring and has been held below 24 points in all five games in the Knicks‘ second-round series vs. Boston.

Towns was limited to 5-of-11 shooting from the field in New York’s Game 5 loss, with many of his 19 points coming in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, prompting Stefan Bondy of The New York Post and Ian Begley of SNY.tv to write that the Knicks need to find a way to unlock Towns and get him more involved in the offensive game plan.

Towns shot 42.0% on 4.7 three-point attempts per game during the regular season but has gone just 2-of-13 in five games against Boston. He suggested after Game 5 that the decline in his shots from beyond the arc has been by design, per Begley.

“I haven’t really been out there really. Haven’t had the chance to shoot. We’ve just been trying to do our game plan and I’m just trying to execute at the highest level,” Towns said. “So I’m trying to do most of my damage inside and do whatever my team asks of me.”

As Begley points out, Towns made just one outside shot in his first two games against Detroit in the conference quarterfinals before knocking down nine and scoring 58 total points in Games 3 and 4, so there’s a recent precedent for him bouncing back and coming up big when the Knicks need him most.

Here’s more on the Knicks ahead of Friday’s Game 6:

Despite being built around a strong starting five, the Knicks haven’t been as dominant with Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart on the court as hoped. That lineup had just a +1.9 net rating in 330 minutes from Christmas Day through the end of the regular season and has posted a -7.3 mark in the playoffs, including -16.3 in the second round. With that in mind, Fred Katz of The Athletic considers whether or not a starting lineup tweak makes sense.
The Knicks acquired Bridges and Anunoby for situations like this one, according to Chris Herring of ESPN, who looks at the impact the two standout wings have made in New York and explores how they could make a difference in Game 6.
Mitchell Robinson‘s 6-of-6 performance from the free throw line was a silver lining for the Knicks in Game 5 and could make him an even more valuable weapon if he can keep it up, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Despite the fact that New York leads the series 3-2, Robinson’s is the only Knick who has a positive net rating (+10.6) vs. Boston.
The Knicks have listed big man Precious Achiuwa as questionable for Friday’s game due to a right ankle sprain. Achiwua’s status doesn’t figure to have any impact on Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation, since he has only played 15 total minutes in the series.

Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Brunson, Hukporti, Rotation

April 19th, 2025 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked ahead of the Knicks‘ first-round series about speculation that head coach Tom Thibodeau will be on the hot seat if New York doesn’t make a deep playoff run, star point guard Jalen Brunson referred to himself as a “big Thibs supporter” and strongly backed his coach, as Jared Schwartz of The New York Post writes.

“He means a lot,” Brunson said on Friday (Twitter video link). “Individually, he’s meant a lot to my career. I’d say he’s meant a decent amount to (Karl-Anthony Towns), coaching KAT in Minnesota and here. There’s a lot of players who can say they’ve definitely benefited from Tom Thibodeau in his career.

“But I think as a team, we’re always in a position where we can compete in the postseason since I’ve been here. He’s very prepared. He’s a very prepared individual. He’s done a lot for my career, so I’m always going to be a supporter. Always. Even when he annoys me. Always.”

Thibodeau has faced criticism over the years due a perception that he overworks his top players, and three Knicks ranked among the top six players in the NBA in minutes per game this season. But New York will enter the 2025 postseason with nearly all of its players – including everyone who’s part of the rotation – fully healthy, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post notes.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Rookie center Ariel Hukporti, who has been out since February 26 while recovering from surgery on his left meniscus, was upgraded to questionable for Game 1 of the Knicks’ first-round series vs. Detroit and practiced on Friday, tweets Bondy. According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Thibodeau referred to Hukporti as a game-time decision, though it seems unlikely that he’d be part of the team’s rotation even if he’s healthy enough to play.
In a separate story for The New York Post, Bondy weighs the case for and against expanding the Knicks’ playoff rotation beyond seven players. As Bondy outlines, Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson are locks to see regular minutes off the bench, but it’s unclear whether Landry Shamet, Precious Achiuwa, or Cameron Payne will get off the bench. If Thibodeau does use an eighth man, Bondy believes Shamet is the best bet for that role.
Even after the Knicks added Towns and Mikal Bridges as offensive weapons last offseason, Brunson still led the team and ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference with 26.0 points per game. The Knicks will need him more than ever in order to make a playoff run this spring, says James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.

Knicks Notes: Rotation, McBride, Robinson, Towns, Bridges, Brunson, Toughness

April 15th, 2025 at 9:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

How low will coach Tom Thibodeau go? In this instance, we’re talking about his rotation.

Thibodeau sliced his rotation to eight players in last year’s playoffs, then cut it to seven when injuries struck. The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy anticipates that Thibodeau will rely heavily on his starting unit once again in the opening-round series against Detroit.

Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson appear to be the only locks to get steady playing time off the bench. Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa are the other reserves who could be called upon but it’s likely only one will get rotation minutes, according to Bondy, who recommends that the hot-shooting Shamet should be the choice.

Here’s more Knicks news:

It’ll be the first postseason with the Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, the front office’s two major acquisitions to become a championship-level team. The pressure will be on that duo to produce, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines. “I think for me and Mikal, we just wanted to show our value to the team,” Towns said. “And I think that throughout the year, we’ve had the opportunity to do that, to our fans and our teammates and our coaching staff.”
Jalen Brunson, who returned from an ankle injury this month to play four games, says that past playoff experiences will help the club navigate this postseason, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes. “I think for us, it’s, like any other season, it’s a roller coaster every year, there’s gonna be ups and downs, and it’s all about how you manage it,” Brunson said. “But now that the regular season’s over, it’s all about how we can move on and be better the next day. I know it’s a term that people don’t like to hear, but we learn from what we did in the past, good and bad, and move on and get better. That’s the name of the game at this stage of the season. … So we’re just focused. We still got a long way to go with preparation, still got a long way to go making sure we’re ready to go for Saturday. We’ll be ready.”
The talent is there but are the Knicks tough enough to make it past the physical Pistons and other potential opponents? Newsday’s Steve Popper explores that topic in a subscriber-only story.

Knicks Notes: Tucker, Achiuwa, Bridges, Playoffs

April 11th, 2025 at 1:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran forward P.J. Tucker had only made one brief appearance for the Knicks this season heading into Thursday’s game in Detroit. However, with OG Anunoby and Josh Hart held for rest, he was surprisingly the first player off the bench last night, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

Tucker received a heads-up that he’d be in the rotation on Thursday, but he wasn’t sure how much he’d play. He wound up logging 27 minutes, the most playing time he’s received in a regular season game in two years.

“Once I got through my first wind, it was really good,” said Tucker, who finished with three points and six rebounds. “I started to open up a little bit. I started to feel good, started talking, getting involved with the game and it’s like riding a bike.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

While Tucker was happy to be playing again, he was not pleased with the loss to the Pistons, who could be New York’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs. “They just out-toughed us. They did. The whole fourth quarter,” Tucker said (story via Bondy). “We kept it close but they just out-toughed us. That’s something we got to address. Obviously, not having OG [Anunoby], not having Josh [Hart], getting those guys back will help a lot. I just feel like down in the trenches like that in the playoffs this year, they’re not calling nothing. They’re letting a lot of stuff go right now and I like it. The refs are letting a lot of stuff go both ways. With that happening, guys got to play differently. We got to play different. We got to toughen up. It’s more physical. We got to toughen up.”
In a mailbag for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III answers questions about the Knicks’ playoff chances, the results of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and more. One question is focused on the future of Precious Achiuwa, who will be an unrestricted free agent again this summer after re-signing with New York on a one-year deal. Edwards believes another reunion between the two sides is unlikely.
Iron man Mikal Bridges has yet to miss a game in his NBA career. In fact, he hasn’t sat out a game since he was in high school, Bondy writes for The New York Post. The 28-year-old is on the verge of playing all 82 regular season games in 2024/25.
In a subscriber-only story, Bondy lists which members of the Knicks have the most at stake entering the playoffs. Bridges and head coach Tom Thibodeau are likely feeling the most heat, according to Bondy. Bridges will be eligible for an extension this offseason.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Anunoby, Rotation, Durant

April 7th, 2025 at 9:55am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson was rusty in his return on Sunday after missing 15 games with a badly sprained ankle, but he did enough to help the Knicks close out a win against Phoenix, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Brunson scored 15 points on the night, with seven of them coming in the final two minutes to shut down a late Suns rally.

“I could be better, could be worse,” Brunson said. “A lot of room for improvement on my end, obviously. I’m surprised about the conditioning part. I thought that would be a lot worse, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Mentally … just making sure I can trust myself in the things that I do. Everyone always talks about the physical part (of coming back from injury), but mentally, it’s about trusting your movements, the way you play and not second-guessing yourself. That was a huge adjustment, but I’m feeling a lot better.”

The Knicks now have a fully healthy rotation for the first time as they head into the final week of the season. At 50-28 and with the No. 3 seed virtually locked up, coach Tom Thibodeau wants to use that time as early preparation for the playoffs.

“As you head down the stretch, you want to check boxes,” Thibodeau said. “You want a winning record at home, winning record on the road. Fifty wins is good, and you want the highest seed possible. And then you want to be playing well. We’re going step by step. We’re not skipping over anything. This is the approach that we’ve taken all season long, so we’re not going to change now. We feel like this will help prepare us for what’s down the road.”

There’s more from New York:

Brunson’s return didn’t slow down the scoring tear that OG Anunoby has been on, Edwards adds. Anunoby shredded the Phoenix defense for 32 points while shooting 13-of-17 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range. He’s averaging 24.9 PPG over the last three weeks.
Miles McBride also returned Sunday after missing eight games with a groin injury. With Brunson back and Cameron Payne recently returning from a sprained ankle, Edwards notes that the Knicks suddenly have an abundance of guards and Thibodeau faces some difficult decisions regarding playing time. He used a nine-man rotation on Sunday, with Landry Shamet filling the final spot. Delon Wright, who filled in as a starter while Brunson and Payne were sidelined, didn’t play, nor did Precious Achiuwa, who has seen regular minutes as a backup big man for most of the season.
The Knicks should resist any temptation to trade for Suns star Kevin Durant, who is expected to be shopped this summer, advises Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post (subscription required). Durant remains an elite scorer at age 36, but Vaccaro notes that he spurned the Knicks in free agency in 2019 and likely wouldn’t be worth the price it would take to acquire him.