1: Mitchell Robinson
This one’s a no-brainer. The Knicks wouldn’t need Mitchell Robinson if they traded for Joel Embiid. Instead, Robinson would either be sent to Philadelphia in the trade package or be dealt elsewhere. And no, one of the best offensive rebounders in the game wouldn’t be content with coming off New York’s bench to backup Embiid.
If Embiid staying healthy is a concern for Knicks fans, he’s been available for more games than Robinson has in two of the last three seasons. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to avoid injuries entirely, especially when it comes to players that are 7-foot-tall.
Robinson would be a good consolation prize for the Sixers after losing Embiid, although the current Knicks center is far from being the scorer that Embiid is. Robinson scored a career-high 9.7 points in 2019-20, while Embiid’s coming off a career-best season where he averaged nearly three times as much.
Robinson was one of the diamonds in the rough that New York snagged in the second round. He’s also a player that the organization values, or he wouldn’t have re-signed with the Knicks when he was a free agent in 2022.
He’s frequently vented on social media regarding his frustrations about how the team uses him, so if an Embiid trade were to happen, perhaps he wouldn’t have those same frustrations in Philadelphia.
The bottom line is that if Joel Embiid were to request a trade and the Knicks were to win the sweepstakes, Robinson would be gone one way or another.
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