The return of Precious Achiuwa, once viewed as an OG Anunoby trade throw-in, has become one of the most intriguing storylines of this Knicks’ season. The flexibility created by his presence provides the Knicks options on the court and in the front office. 

With Precious and Mitch’s combined ~$20 million in salary, the Knicks have the contracts to attach to remaining trade assets (draft picks, and maybe Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek?) and acquire a bit more juice for contention, be it wing depth or shot creation. But is that the right move for a team also in need of defensive anchors?

If there were a scale with Josh Hart on one end and Mitchell Robinson on another, Precious Achiuwa might be evenly in the middle. His high motor, versatile defense against players his size, and active cutting as a hybrid 4/5 unlock options in both KAT and non-KAT lineups. Plus, his minutes can give #Wingstop an extra breather…in theory.

In 40 minutes thus far, Tom Thibodeau has deployed Precious Achiuwa in several ways. A total of 12 minutes against the Pistons saw him with the usual starters, replacing the injured Karl-Anthony Towns at the 5, leading to a 26.9 net rating. 

He’s only played three minutes with Deuce, OG, Hart, and Mikal, but they flashed a stifling switchability that Thibs could use to closeout games on defense.

Precious played a total of seven minutes next to KAT in the blowout vs. Charlotte. Both active big men can benefit from the same sort of high/low chemistry Towns sought to create with Rudy Gobert. On defense, Precious’ straight-armed contests at the rim could relieve Towns of those important duties.

KAT is the only big Thibs has played with Precious. Is that out of belief in his capability as a center, or purely a lack of confidence in his fit with Sims (whose confidence is shaking) and Hukporti (whose still wide-eyed)? And what happens with Mitch returns?

Mitchell Robinson is an important building block in the New York Knicks foundation. A 2018 second-round pick, and a hallmark example of player development, Robinson has made major contributions to a team with back-to-back second-round playoff appearances.

In my humble opinion, Robinson was the most important player not named Jalen Brunson in the Knicks’ playoff series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers two seasons ago, and he played admirable defense on former MVP Joel Embiid during this past postseason's victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Being the Knicks' most tenured player means something to the fans, but Mitch's health and limited offensive game might have finally tipped the scales weighing potential on-court impact versus availability.

To date, Robinson has missed a total of 72 regular season games due to ankle-related injuries, and 162 overall games in total throughout his career.

If you're an optimist, you can point to a player like Marcus Camby, a big who had an injury history, yet managed to have a long and fairly productive career. During Camby's first four seasons with the Knicks he missed 99 regular season games, yet continued to play well into his late 30's, even winning the Defensive Player of the Year award during the 2006-2007 season.

But it's hard to bet with confidence on Robinson's long-term health. Adding to this feeling of ambivalence was the team's performance in Robinson's absence. Last season, I was convinced that Robinson's rim protection and offensive rebounding were key factors in the team's ability to win. However, the Knicks went 31-20 without Robinson during the regular season, and per NBAstats.com, the orange and blue were still ranked first in the league in offensive rebounding and third in defensive rating.

Ultimately, I believe it's time to turn the page on Mitch. Robinson will always be fondly remembered, but it feels like his exit is more likely to lead the Knicks closer to a championship as opposed to keeping him on the roster.

We’ll dive deeper into specific trade options later (stay tuned), but these are the questions the Knicks face on each path.

On-court play will bring clarity to some of these blurs. As Geoff mentioned, the Knicks survived defensively without Mitch thanks to Isaiah Hartenstein, who, like KAT, began his Knicks tenure with large question marks on that end. Similar development can happen, and data on Precious and Mitch’s impact will be necessary for a final decision.

The market will also dictate action. Might there be a more durable backup center available? Perhaps, though very few have the defensive potential of a healthy Mitchell Robinson - if only we knew he would be all year.

Alex Trataros is joined by Raptors podcaster William Lou to preview tonight’s matchup.