The New York Knicks have agreed to sign veteran center Andre Drummond to a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum of $3.9 million, according to league sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been completed.
The defending champions desperately needed a backup center, with owner James Dolan not wanting the team’s payroll to exceed the second apron threshold of just under $222 million. That mandate consequently led to the Knicks losing Mitchell Robinson to the rival Boston Celtics in free agency.
Knicks coach Mike Brown reached out to Drummond as part of the team’s recruiting process. It was an easy sell for Drummond, who is from Connecticut and, at 32, loved the idea of coming back to his old “neighborhood” to continue his career.
Drummond is a well-traveled veteran who has played for six different teams over the last seven seasons. Known as the Big Penguin, he provides the size, veteran experience and rebounding the Knicks were seeking with Robinson gone.
Drummond averaged 6.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with the Philadelphia 76ers last season. His career rebound percentage of 24.98 is actually the highest in NBA history. He is also known as a positive presence in the locker room.
The Knicks are now roughly $5 million below the second apron and will fill out their roster with two more veteran minimum players, one of which will likely be a return of Jordan Clarkson.
A like-for-like replacement
Drummond will try to fill the shoes of Robinson in more than one way. Yes, he is now the replacement at center for Robinson, who was arguably the league’s best backup five this past season. But he’s also set to fill the same role.
The Knicks thrived last season, in part, because they could attack the offensive glass for all 48 minutes. Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are an elite offensive-rebounding combination. They would crash creatively, including with Mikal Bridges, who uses never-ending arms to snag a long rebound here or there. And behind them was the monster, Robinson, who recovered 23 percent of the Knicks’ misses when he was on the court. If he had played enough minutes in 2025-26 to qualify for the league leaders, Robinson would have shattered Dennis Rodman’s single-season record for offensive rebound rate.
No one can reach Robinson’s levels, but Drummond is one of the few who can come close. He’s led the league in offensive rebound rate four times. And while he doesn’t move like he did in his 20s, he can still engulf other teams down low.
The Knicks obsess over the possession game. They limit turnovers, and they pummel whoever is in front of them on the offensive glass. Drummond will fit into that piece of them well. — Fred Katz, NBA staff writer