Andre Drummond has a different kind of target in mind as he begins his first Knicks season: the record book.
The newly signed center made it clear after Thursday’s preseason game against the Wizards that one of his goals is to climb past Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list. Drummond currently sits 27th in league history with 11,513 rebounds, putting him 441 behind Rodman, who is 24th. He’s also right behind Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, who ranks 26th with 11,607 rebounds.
Drummond’s track record makes the chase look realistic. He has averaged 976 rebounds per season over his career, and he just finished 2025-26 with 532 boards while playing fewer than 20 minutes a night. Barring injuries, he appears positioned to move past both legends during the coming campaign.
While Drummond is focused on his place among the game’s greatest rebounders, the Knicks are dealing with a different frontcourt storyline involving Karl-Anthony Towns.
New York is now expected to put contract extension talks on hold for the time being, according to a Friday morning report, after months of negotiations that were described as far apart. Any new deal will have to wait until the regular season starts.
Towns is coming off his sixth All-Star season and the best postseason of his career. In New York’s championship run, he averaged 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.6 stocks per game while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 45.6 percent from three. He served as the team’s offensive centerpiece and helped lead the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years.
Even with that production, Towns is heading into the title defense without long-term security in place.
In Other News...
Andre Drummond Brings Knicks More Than A Typical Backup Center
Andre Drummond arrives in New York as more than a familiar big body off the bench. The Knicks signed a veteran center who has continued to refine his game late in his career, showing better efficiency and a more rounded offensive touch than the typical reserve rim protector. For a team that values toughness, rebounding and depth in the frontcourt, that kind of evolution gives Drummond a little extra appeal beyond the usual insurance-policy role.
Drummond also comes in with a place in NBA history still within reach, which adds another layer to his late-career chase. He sits 27th on the leagues all-time rebounding list with 11,513 boards, and the next name above him is Dennis Rodman, a standard-bearer for one of the leagues great rebounders. If Drummond keeps his place in a rotation and stays productive, the Knicks could end up watching a personal milestone race unfold in the background while they sort out their own season. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Added An Awkward Karl-Anthony Towns Tension Before Opening Night
With opening night getting closer, the Knicks have chosen to put extension talks on hold for now, a move aimed at keeping the focus on basketball and the clubs payroll situation rather than contract drama. The team has been working with an eye on staying under the second apron while still trying to sort out long-term deals, but no agreement has been reached yet for either Josh Hart or Karl-Anthony Towns.
For Towns, the delay landed as a real letdown. He made it clear he understood the business side of the decision and said the priority has to be the season, but the timing still created an awkward layer around a roster that is supposed to be settling in for a fresh start. The Knicks can revisit the talks later, though for now the unanswered question is how that contract picture will affect the mood around two important pieces of their rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Roster Battle Is Raising One Tough Question Early
The preseason has already started to sort out the Knicks roster picture, and the early minutes have not been distributed evenly. Veterans such as Ochai Agbaji, Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley have been on the edge of the rotation look, while the staff has leaned more toward younger options as it evaluates who fits best around the groups core and what the team still needs before opening night.
James Wiseman and Jaden Akins have been among the more noticeable beneficiaries of that approach, with both getting extended chances to show they can help. Wiseman has flashed real efficiency in limited action, and Akins has been one of the quieter surprises so far, but the bigger question still lingers around whether the Knicks may eventually use a trade to create more room and make these preseason performances matter even more. [Read more 🡒]