According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the New York Knicks will not make a qualifying offer for soon-to-be free agent forward Precious Achiuwa, which means Achiuwa will become a full free agent when the free agency market opens.
In the middle of the season, the Knicks and the Toronto Raptors made a big multi-player deal, with the Knicks sending Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a 2024 Detroit Pistons second-round pick to the Raptors, while the Raptors sent Achiuwa and OG Anunobu to the Knicks. After joining the Knicks, Achiuwa played a total of 49 games for the team in the NBA regular season, averaging 24.2 minutes per game, averaging 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 52.5% from the field, 26% from three-point range, and 64.3% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Achiuwa played a total of 9 games for the team, averaging 20.4 minutes per game, averaging 5.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 48.8% from the field, 0% from three-point range, and 38.5% from the free throw line.
Achiuwa's overall performance is not particularly bad, because the Knicks have been affected by injuries for a period of time and have fallen into a shortage of personnel, he also got a lot of opportunities to perform in the regular season, he showed a more comprehensive scoring ability on the offensive end, and he was also able to use his advantages in confrontation and athleticism on the defensive end to provide rebounding protection and some basket support. As a substitute, Achiuwa has also proved his worth in the face of limited playing time. In the playoffs, Achiuwa's playing time fluctuated significantly due to head coach Tom Thibodeau's almost frantic approach to hiring, which also led to an up-and-down in his performances, a noticeable drop from the regular season.
Achiuwa actually has what it takes to be a qualified rotation player, and his importance in the Knicks roster may be somewhat underestimated. But the problem at the moment is that the Knicks really don't have salary space anymore. If the content of the Mikal Bridges trade does not change at the moment, since the Knicks are hard capped by the No. 1 Tyrant line, their current salary is very close to the No. 1 Tyrant line, and they are completely unable to offer Achiuwa a contract beyond the base salary, and it is clear that Achiuwa can find a better offer in the market. The Knicks had no way to keep Achiuwa, and they had to give up on him because of this.