Precious Achiuwa
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Precious Achiuwa's future with the New York Knicks remains uncertain.
After wrapping up his run with the New York Knicks, Precious Achiuwa had to put out some feelers in free agency.
A reunion with the Miami Heat was in the works. He played with the team that drafted him for a second stint during the 2025 NBA preseason, but the Heat weren’t looking to keep Achiuwa around long-term.
The veteran was cut loose and sat on the free agency market until the Sacramento Kings came calling. Now, he’s in the midst of his first season with the Kings, and will soon be back on the free agency market for the second offseason in a row.
Precious Achiuwa Makes Feelings Clear On His Future
Precious Achiuwa, of the New York Knicks - for now.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 25: Precious Achiuwa #5 of the New York Knicks warms up before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden on January 25, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Despite the struggles in Sacramento, would a veteran player like Achiuwa embrace a return to the Kings for the 2026-2027 season?
He recently made his feelings on that idea clear.
“Absolutely. I love Sacramento. The city’s embraced me, the team’s embraced me, the organization—from the front office to my teammates and the coaching staff. I truly, truly love being here, and I would really love to be here. I hope once the offseason comes around, they’ll be willing to have me come back.”
The 26-year-old front-court player has appeared in 61 games for the Kings this year.
He is seeing the court for 22.8 minutes per game. The veteran is shooting 53% from the field and knocking down 32% of his threes, while averaging 9.2 points per game.
Outside of his scoring, Achiuwa is coming down with 6.3 rebounds per game and blocking nearly one shot per game. He is currently tied to the Kings on a $2.1 million contract, which will expire in July.
Down Year In Sacramento
Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Getty(L-R) Precious Achiuwa, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart of the New York Knicks react against the Miami Heat in the second half at Madison Square Garden on January 27, 2024.
There’s been a bright side to a down year in Sacramento for some. Players like Precious Achiuwa and Russell Westbrook are getting a chance to continue showcasing what they can bring to the table after having little interest in free agency.
This year, the Kings are 18-51. They currently rank 15th in the Western Conference. The 14th-seeded Utah Jazz have a 2.5-game lead over the Kings.
While Achiuwa is open to seeing what the future has in store for him in Sacramento, he has proven to be a productive player in winning situations as well.
In 2020-2021, Achiuwa joined the Miami Heat, who had a playoff run during his rookie season. Playing time was limited for the first-rounder, but he got six games of full-time postseason experience with the Toronto Raptors the following year.
After three seasons with the Raptors, Achiuwa joined the New York Knicks. His run in NYC would last two seasons.
During that time, Achiuwa averaged 7.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and nearly one block per game. He shot 51% from the field. Over two playoff runs, Achiuwa played in 17 games with the Knicks. He averaged 12.8 minutes off the bench, producing 3.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.