Kofi Inkoom
The New York Knicks have decided not to extend a $6.3 million qualifying offer to Precious Achiuwa, according to Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype. As a result, the 24-year-old big man will enter free agency as an unrestricted player this Sunday afternoon.
On the other hand, the Knicks have chosen to exercise their $2 million team option for Jericho Sims for the upcoming season, as reported by Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Additionally, the team has extended a qualifying offer to two-way forward Jacob Toppin, making him a restricted free agent, according to Fred Katz.
Although the Knicks haven’t completely ruled out re-signing Achiuwa, they didn’t want to risk him accepting the qualifying offer immediately, which could have complicated their salary cap situation. This is especially important as they work on the details of a trade to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets.
Achiuwa was acquired by the Knicks in late December as part of the OG Anunoby deal. He played a significant role due to long-term injuries to Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and others. Achiuwa appeared in 49 games after the trade, starting in 18 of them and averaging 7.6 points and 7.2 assists in 24.2 minutes per game.
Jericho Sims, who serves as a backup center, still has a 50% guarantee on his $1.3 million salary until mid-July. Sims has spent the past three seasons with the Knicks and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Meanwhile, the team has declined DaQuan Jeffries’ $2.5 million option, meaning Jeffries, who played in 17 games, will also become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. Finally, two-way players Duane Washington Jr. and Charlie Brown Jr. did not receive qualifying offers, as reported by Fred Katz.