New York Knicks fans, whether you’re ready to admit it or not, it’s very possible that Mitchell Robinson will sign elsewhere during free agency. Why? Because New York isn’t able to offer him the money that he deserves.
If we lived in a perfect world, Robinson would sign an extension with the Knicks and everyone would live happily ever after. However, if we did live in that type of world, that’d mean that New York’s most recent championship wouldn’t be 1973. As fans know all too well, you can’t always get what you want.
With that being said, it’s time to start seriously exploring the upcoming center market. There won’t be a player who’s an exact talent swap for Robinson but there’s still a couple of promising players who are set to enter free agency. In fact, there’s a 22-year-old in Brooklyn who’d be a solid replacement.
There’s always good with the bad, though. If Robinson leaves, there’ll be centers who the Knicks will need to avoid at all costs. Sadly, given New York’s past, one of these players could very well end up on the roster.
If push comes to shove, here are three future unrestricted free agents who the Knicks need to do their best to stay away from.
3 potential Mitchell Robinson replacements the New York Knicks must avoid.
3: Bol Bol – Orlando Magic
Out of the three players mentioned, Orlando’s Bol Bol’s the youngest at the age of 22-years-old and won’t be turning 23 until November. While his age is lucrative, the second-round pick in the 2019 draft has played in a total of 53 games over the past three years.
At seven-foot-two, Bol’s a threat but he can’t stay healthy which is why the Nuggets traded him to the Magic last month. In January, the center underwent right foot surgery (subscription required) and because Orlando’s currently in last place in the East, there’s no need for him to return to the court before next season.
In the 14 games that he played in this year in Denver, he averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.8 minutes. Last season, he played in a career-high 32 games and averaged 2.2 points and 0.8 rebounds.
If Bol can stay injury-free, he has potential. Sadly, he hasn’t gotten the chance to prove himself yet. He’s far from a suitable Robinson replacement. If New York signed Bol during the offseason (pending Robinson’s departure), Jericho Sims would be the starting center for the Knicks and he isn’t ready to take on that role.
I’d like to think that New York’s front office is well-aware of Bol’s situation but I can’t help but think about the Knicks’ past questionable offseason signees. As mentioned, Bol’s age is a bonus but he’d be a liability and give New York more problems than solutions.
2: Tristan Thompson – Chicago Bulls
While it’d be nice to add an NBA champion to the Knicks’ roster, it doesn’t need to be Tristan Thompson. He signed with Chicago during the buyout market and has a solid shot to win his second ring with the fourth-place Bulls.
Thompson was a buyout candidate for a reason. As recent as 2019-20, he averaged 12 points and 10.1 rebounds per game but he’s bounced around four teams over the past two years.
In the six games that Thompson’s played in thus far for Chicago, he’s averaging 7.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and is shooting 66.7% from the field.
The 11-year veteran is no longer the same player that he was when Cleveland won a title in 2016. While he still provides some value (or else the Bulls wouldn’t have signed him), he’s not a viable Robinson replacement. It wouldn’t be the worst thing for Sims to learn under Thompson but that’s not New York’s main priority.
The Knicks don’t need another veteran who’s going to fail to produce. New York has a lot of young and exciting talent and at the age of 30, Thompson’s on the downside of his career. He still has some game left in him but isn’t the “starter” that the Knicks should be going after.
I put starter in quotation marks because he’s capable of starting but do I want him to start for New York? Absolutely not.
1: Robin Lopez – Orlando Magic
At this point, at least every veteran in the NBA has been on the Knicks at least once, right? That goes for Orlando’s Robin Lopez, who started all 82 games for New York in 2015-16 and averaged 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.
There’s something about New York and the Lopez brothers. While it’d be nice to have the Knicks’ former version of now 33-year-old Lopez back, seven years have gone by.
After being drafted in 2008, the center’s been on a total of eight teams and that includes four different teams in the last four years. Lopez is currently with Orlando and is averaging 7.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in the 28 games that he’s played in for the Magic.
Lopez is No. 1 on this list because it feels like he’s a player who New York’s front office will definitely have their eyes on if Robinson walks due to his recent “success.” He had a solid season with the Wizards last year, averaging 9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 71 games.
Truth be told, I’d rather see Lopez on the Knicks than Bol or Thompson but like I said previously, I’d like to think that New York knows better than to go after the two former names.
It wouldn’t be awful if Lopez signed with the Knicks but in the past three years he’s started in a total of 23 games. While he could step in and take Robinson’s starting spot, that doesn’t mean that he should.
I’d appreciate it if New York stayed far away from Bol, Thompson, and Lopez. With all due respect, these three players aren’t going to boost the Knicks’ hopes of making it back to the playoffs.
More than anything, we want Robinson to sign an extension but due to financial reasons, that might not happen. It’ll be interesting to see what the front office does if that happens but at the same time, I don’t want to find out. Hopefully, none of this speculation will matter (cough cough pay Robinson).
Knicks rumors: New York Post report suggests team could land this veteran center
With Michell Robinson's extension in limbo, the New York Knicks could look at other options this offseason, including this Western Conference center.