Knicks Consider Chris Boucher for Third-String Big Man Role

The New York Knicks’ search for a third-string big man has turned into a late-summer grind rather than a quick fix.

Ariel Hukporti is gone. Jonas Valanciunas slipped through their fingers. Their offer sheet for Moussa Cisse? Matched by the Dallas Mavericks. Training camp is creeping up, and the board is starting to look thin.

So the Knicks are poking around the veteran market, and one name has surfaced with some logic behind it: Chris Boucher.

A Veteran Answer to a Simple Question

Joseph Randazzo of Knicks on SI floated Boucher as a sensible target, framing him as exactly what a contender’s bench often needs: experienced size at a bargain price.

The idea is straightforward. The Knicks don’t need a star. They need a professional who can soak up spot minutes, keep the defensive standards high, and not flinch when the lights get bright in May and June.

Boucher checks some of those boxes. At 33, he’s seen a lot of NBA locker rooms and a couple of deep playoff runs. He held minor roles on the 2018–19 Golden State Warriors and the 2019–20 Toronto Raptors, brushing up against championship standards and the pressure that comes with them. That matters to a team talking openly about title aspirations.

He can slide across the frontcourt, giving Mike Brown a stretch of flexibility behind his primary bigs. He’ll step out and take threes. He’ll rotate from the weak side and challenge shots at the rim. On paper, that’s the kind of skill set that can smooth over a long regular season.

A Difficult Year, a Motivated Player

The appeal comes with a clear warning label.

Last season was rough for Boucher. He bounced between the Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz and never found a rhythm. In Boston, he appeared in only nine games under Joe Mazzulla, averaging 2.3 points and 2 rebounds while shooting 32% from the field and just 13.3% from beyond the arc. Then came the trade to Utah, the waiver, and a long stretch of watching instead of playing.

That kind of year either breaks a veteran or sharpens him.

If the Knicks decide to take a flier, they wouldn’t be getting the polished version of the player who once teased breakout potential in Toronto. They’d be betting on a hungry one, desperate to prove he still belongs in a rotation, even in a limited role.

Give Boucher a clearly defined job—rebound, contest, space the floor in short bursts—and there’s a path for him to become a useful bench piece again. His exposure to championship cultures in Golden State and Toronto would also help him slide into a Knicks locker room that has built its identity on toughness, accountability, and a clear pecking order.

Not the Only Path

This isn’t a one-option market.

Boucher is a name, not a mandate. There are still other free-agent bigs available, each with their own mix of risk and reliability. Trade avenues exist as well, with attainable big men around the league who could be pried loose for the right price.

New York could explore Boucher and decide the fit isn’t right—whether because of age, recent form, or stylistic overlap with what they already have. They might prefer a younger project, a more traditional rim protector, or a pure bruiser to lean into their physical identity.

There’s another possibility: they simply roll into the season with two bigs in the main rotation and leave that third spot open. Injuries, buyouts, and midseason frustrations always shake loose new names. A veteran center could get waived. A fringe rotation big could ask out. The market in January rarely looks like the market in September.

For now, the Knicks have time and options, even if neither feels abundant. The front office can afford to be picky about a role that, in theory, won’t decide their season—but could matter on the wrong night in a playoff series.

The question is whether they see Chris Boucher as a steady insurance policy or just another name on a shrinking list.