Mitchell Robinson is approaching unrestricted free agency with outside interest building, but early indications suggest the New York Knicks are in a strong position to retain their most prominent free agent and backup player.
The veteran center has drawn attention from multiple teams, including the meat-lacking Los Angeles Lakers, who are widely expected to explore upgrades in the frontcourt this offseason.
Despite all the whispers, noise, and supposed external interest, recent reports from different
outlets point toward a potential reunion between Robinson and the Knicks.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in Marc Stein’s substack that Robinson is “very open” to remaining in New York heading into free agency, signaling a willingness on the player’s side to stay with the reigning champions.
“The Lakers have been linked to all sorts of veteran big men in the forthcoming free agent market as well. They could emerge as a suitor for the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson and the Trail Blazers’ Robert Williams III, although sources say both players are very open to remaining in their incumbent roles with the Knicks and Blazers.”
Fischer’s information follows prior reports from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who has indicated that the Knicks have already taken early steps toward keeping Robinson on the roster, prioritizing retaining the big man.
“Mitchell Robinson, he is an unrestricted free agent in two weeks here, and the Knicks are going to definitely try to keep him.
“[The Knicks] are about $8 million under the luxury tax line. They know they’re going over the luxury tax. They intend to make Mitchell an offer that will keep him.
“He might have some outside interest, but they’re going to make him a priority.
“Their front office is reporting to work today with a list of things to do. They’ve got to figure out a way to keep Mitchell Robinson on this roster.”
Albeit a backup following the arrival of Karl-Anthony Towns two seasons ago, Robinson certainly played a meaningful role in the Knicks’ championship run, providing interior defense and offensive rebounding off the bench.
In the Finals, Robinson averaged 5.6 rebounds per game, including 3.0 offensive boards. In the playoffs as a whole, Mitch averaged 4.8 points, 5.5 boards, and 1.0 stocks a pop. Not only did he do that, but he remained healthy for the major part of the season thanks to a heavy load-managing plan deployed by the Knicks, who only made him available for 60 regular-season games.
Financial considerations are an obvious part of the equation here, as re-signing Robinson could push New York closer to or beyond the NBA’s second apron, a threshold that, given the latest we’ve heard from honcho James Dolan, the Knicks are certainly not interested in stepping into.
Still, it looks like both NYK and Mitch are destined to keep their relationship going, or at least that both sides are willing to try and find some common ground, so the partnership isn’t broken so shortly after reaching the promised land together.
