NBA lottery 2019: Lakers jump to No. 4 is ‘power asset,’ GM Rob Pelinka says

The New York Knicks know they need to add another center to their roster. The Knicks currently have talented, but oft-injured, Mitchell Robinson as their starter. Behind him is Jericho Sims, who remains best as a third center. The search for a backup, who can also start when necessary, may lead New York to a familiar face.

The Knicks have remained in touch with Precious Achiuwa, about their backup center role. Achiuwa remains unsigned in free agency.

In 49 games (18 starts) after coming over from the Toronto Raptors in the OG Anunoby trade, Achiuwa averaged 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 24.2 minutes per game. At 6-foot-8, Achiuwa is undersized for a traditional center, but his strength and athleticism help him hold up against much bigger players.

New York is also looking into acquiring a higher-salaried veteran via the trade market. Those talks were termed as more casual than serious, at this point.

The San Antonio Spurs have a tremendous amount of optionality heading into the offseason as they continue to build around Victor Wembanyama.

“We all have opinions every day, coaches meet every day,” Popovich said on Tuesday. “We talk about that sort of thing along with everything else. So when the season ends, we’ll sit down with management and have that discussion. But whether it’s a young team or an older team, every team has that discussion. Changes are made every year. That just goes with the territory.”

The Spurs will miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season while Wembanyama is the probable Rookie of the Year.

“I don’t pretend to know what we’re going to do,” said Popovich. “We have a lot of possibilities ahead of us, whether it’s money in the bank or draft picks or being creative trade-wise. All those things are on the table. But aren’t they for every team? I don’t know why we’re any different. We’re just younger.”

Popovich and Brian Wright don’t expect to feel any pressure from ownership.

“If your organization is unable to understand that rebuilding takes time, then you just never get there,” Popovich said. “We’re fortunate because we’ve always had under the leadership of the Holt family the ability to do what we think has been best. So we’re always grateful for that.”