Knicks enter chat after Nuggets bail on Jonas Valanciunas

The Denver Nuggets recently made a decision on Jonas Valanciunas, waiving him before his $10 million was guaranteed. That should help them with some roster decisions this offseason, most notably trying to sign Peyton Watson to an extension.

As for Valanciunas, he should have some suitors looking to sign him, and the New York Knicks are rumored to be one of those teams, according to Ian Begley of SNY.

“NYK was interested in Jonas Valanciunas in ‘24 offseason. ‘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,” Begley wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The Knicks lost both of their reserve centers in the offseason, and there’s no doubt that they have to get that depth back in some way. Their first step was signing Andre Drummond in the first week of free agency, and he could be close to being their Mitchell Robinson replacement. Drummond has always had a knack for rebounds, and that’s what the Knicks are going to get from him.

Valanciunas is the type of center that can score on the inside, while also coming out to the perimeter to make shots as well. He’s a solid passer at the position, and the Knicks have someone similar in Karl-Anthony Towns who can make plays at center.

There’s no doubt that Valacuinas would be a great addition to the Knicks’ center rotation, and he’ll probably want to join a championship team. There will also be other teams looking to sign him, so it may come down to a bidding war, especially with the center market drying up.