Knicks Had Interest In Champion Center

The New York Knicks originally had a more muted approach to their problems in the interior.

May 24, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney (5) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter in game four of the 2022 Western Conference finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks almost went with a Looney tune when looking to solve their interior problems over the offseason.

Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Knicks were one of several teams that had "exploratory trade interest" in Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney, joined that pursuit by the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder. All parties eventually "pivoted in other directions," leaving Looney stationed in Golden State to tip off the 2024-25 season.

New York went into this season knowing they'd be without interior staples Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein. The latter, in fact, might've been part of Oklahoma City's "other direction" as he went west to solve the Thunder's rebounding woes.

January 8, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) dunks the basketball against the New York Knicks during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Knicks thus went into this season yearning for interior help, a need that only heightened when Precious Achiuwa, re-signed late in the offseason, was injured in a preseason game. New York eventually added Karl-Anthony Towns at a major price shortly before training camps tipped off, albeit at the price of stalwarts like Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle.

Looney has been a reliable interior depth star in Golden State over the past decade and has averaged over seven rebounds a game over the last three-plus seasons and he was the starting center for most of the Warriors' most recent championship run in 2022. Though he has come off the bench behind Trayce Jackson-Davis, Looney is still Golden State's leading rebounder at 7.6 per game in just under 15 minutes.

To their credit, the Knicks have made their current situation work despite some early issues. Towns has been a walking double-double while Jericho Sims has done reliably well as the top spell option. Achiuwa is due back soon while Robinson, working off ankle woes from last year, should be back by January.

Looney will get a chance to give the Knicks a glimpse of what they missed with two meetings in March. In the meantime, New York faces Charlotte tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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