Zach LaVine’s possible free agency departure could reportedly lead Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson to Bulls
The days are creeping closer and closer to the 2022 NBA Draft and the start of free agency. The New York Knicks are in store for a busy few upcoming weeks, and while it’ll all start with the draft, Mitchell Robinson’s future with the organization is still a huge question mark.
The 24-year-old center will become an unrestricted free agent on the first of July if he and the Knicks don’t agree to an extension by the end of June. In his fourth season in New York, Robinson averaged 8.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 76.1% from the floor in 72 games. If he enters free agency, there will be several teams lined up waiting to speak with him.
And according to New York Post’s Marc Berman, the Chicago Bulls could be the team with the highest probability to sign Robinson if becomes a free agent. The Bulls finished sixth in the East with a 46-36 record and are at risk of losing Zach LaVine in free agency. If that happens, it’ll only increase Chicago’s chances of landing Robinson.
Knicks fans shouldn’t want Mitchell Robinson to sign with Bulls in free agency
Some fans want to see Robinson leave the Knicks in a few short weeks, but the majority seems to stand behind New York finding a way to re-sign Robinson. Berman wrote that the organization can offer him a four-year, $55 million maximum extension, but the Bulls can offer him more than that, especially if LaVine decides to go elsewhere.
"The Bulls want to enhance their interior defense and believe Robinson could be a good fit slotted alongside offense-minded center Nikola Vucevic. Chicago reportedly has $49 million in cap space, but that’s before they commit to their own free agent, Zach LaVine — if they commit."
At first, it seemed as if LaVine was going to stay in Chicago, especially given the team’s success in 2021-22. However, based on the rumors that have been swirling about, he could’ve played in his final game as a Bull.
Chicago’s center Nikola Vucevic averaged 17.6 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block in the 73 games that he played in this past season. He shot 47.3% from the floor and 31.4% from three. Pairing Vucevic and Robinson together is something that Knicks fans should be rooting hard against.
The Bulls’ lone pick in the draft will come at No. 18. In ESPN’s latest mock draft (subscription required), Kentucky guard TyTy Washington Jr. was slotted to go to Chicago. With LaVine’s status up in the air, that pick would make sense if it were to happen.
If Robinson and New York don’t agree to an extension, fans should hope that at the very least that he signs with a Western Conference team. So far, Robinson’s been most linked to the Bulls, a team that made it to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, and the Detroit Pistons, a team that has a lot of upside in the Eastern Conference.
Knicks fans, cross your fingers that Chicago and LaVine agree to an extension before the start of July. Trying to cope with losing Robinson is one thing, but trying to cope with losing Robinson to the Bulls would be a completely different monster.
