4. Precious Achiuwa
Over the past several months, the Thunder have frequently been linked to the Knicks as being a possible landing spot for one of their impending free-agent bigs.
Though Precious Achiuwa may not be the name that's regularly mentioned in such chatter, there should still be a certain level of interest in pursuing his services in the event that they can't land his frontcourt running mate.
The Precious Achiuwa block and Deuce McBride triple caps an 11-0 NYK run!
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2024
NYK-CLE Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/d6oqzmUEAG
While he may not be the kind of player who will help them improve upon their height dilemma (measures in at just 6-foot-8), the 24-year-old's play style is much larger than his build, as he's a tough-nosed contributor who will play quality defense, fight for loose balls, bang down low on the boards, and add a level of strength and physicality that was missing from OKC's frontline last year.
Since being selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, Achiuwa has served as a reserve big within several playoff rotations and, over the past three seasons, has posted solid averages of 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and just shy of a block in 22.2 minutes a night.
Though far from the sexiest of players, the big man is also nowhere near a bank breaker, as he'll likely command a per-year salary of anywhere between $6-$10 million.
At that price range and with his specific nitty-gritty athletic intangibles, the Thunder could do far worse than adding a guy like Precious Achiuwa to their physically depleted big-man rotation.