The Knicks have spent the last few days searching for their new backup center after losing Mitchell Robinson to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, and they seem to have found their man.
Per Shams Charania, the Knicks have signed two-time All-Star Andre Drummond to a one-year, $3.9 million contract.
The veteran big man had spent the last two seasons with
the rival Philadelphia 76ers and will enter the 2026-27 season with his seventh team in 15 seasons.
Selected No. 9 overall out of UConn by Detroit in 2012, Drummond broke into the starting lineup by Year 2. He changed the trajectory of the Pistons’ franchise after previously planning to build around former lottery pick Greg Monroe. He averaged 7.9 points and 7.6 rebounds as a rookie, finishing fourth in the 2012-13 Rookie of the Year voting.
He immediately gained a reputation as one of the league’s premier rebounders, leading the league in offensive rebounds in seven consecutive seasons while becoming a force around the rim offensively. His breakout came in 2015-16, when he averaged 16.2 points and 14.8 rebounds, made the All-NBA Third Team, and got down-ballot Defensive Player of the Year votes.
After another all-star nod in 2018 and a strong start to 2019-20, the rebuilding Pistons finally cut him loose, trading him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in February 2020, but only played eight games before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season short. He re-signed with Cleveland that offseason, but was waived after just 25 games in late March 2021 before joining the Lakers for the playoff run.
Since then, he’s become a journeyman of sorts. He started 2021-22 in Philadelphia, but was sent as matching salary to Brooklyn in the James Harden trade that February. He inked a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls for 2022-23 and 2023-24, during which he served as the primary backup to Nikola Vucevic.
His last two years with the Sixers have been a fundamental shift in what he is as a player. He remains a premier rebounder, averaging 15.6 rebounds (5.8 offensive) per 36 minutes, but has significantly slowed defensively as he enters his mid-30s.
The biggest shift, though, has been his offensive evolution. After attempting just 120 threes total in his first 12 seasons, he’s attempted 110 in the last two seasons in Philly, including a startling 32-for-90 in 2025-26. He hit three of them, all in the corner, against the Knicks in December.
He’s also gotten much better as a free throw shooter, improving from a career 48.2% mark to 63% over the last two seasons. With Robinson’s flaws at the free throw line and his offensive versatility, Drummond will provide an upgrade there while making up a lot of the rebounding loss at 6’11”.
While Drummond signed for $3.9 million, the CBA dictates that the cap hit will be at just $2.457 million. Veteran players earn more total salary on minimum contracts, but the cap hit remains low to incentivize teams to sign them. Therefore, the Knicks did not use any of the potential Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception that they can partially use if they so choose.
Ian Begley reports the Knicks are not done in the center market, showing interest in Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas as a third center if he is bought out.
