The New York Knicks just won an NBA Championship, but now, they need to flip into offseason mode. And one of their top priorities should be getting Karl-Anthony Towns a more reliable backup big man. Because for as clutch as Mitchell Robinson was in the NBA Finals at times, he’s still not as reliable as the Knicks need him to be.
Robinson’s injury issues and foul trouble have hindered him. Even in the Finals, there were times when Ariel Hukporti was on the floor instead of him. KAT is a heavy-minute player. He’s going to play a lot. But it would still be great for the Knicks to have a more reliable backup center behind him.
So, this summer, that’s why they should try to find.
Knicks could try to replace Mitchell Robinson this summer for KAT's sake
During the Knicks’ 2026 playoff run, KAT was an integral part of their success. His ability and willingness to switch between being a scorer and playmaker helped lift New York to the level of success it found.
All the while, Robinson was playing the backup big man minutes behind him. In fact, the Knicks were cautious with his minutes in the regular season just so they could have him available in the postseason.
He appeared in 60 regular-season games, playing 19.6 minutes per contest. Then, in the playoffs, he appeared in 18 of the Knicks’ games, but his minutes dipped down to 13.9 per contest.
But now, Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. That means New York will have to find a way to re-sign him if they want to keep him around moving forward, and by all accounts, they want to.
However, at this point, it feels like the Knicks should look in a different direction, both for the sake of consistent availability and finances. It may be cheaper to find a different backup center who, though perhaps slightly worse, could play more consistently than Robinson.
The question would then become, who? Well, there aren’t too many amazing options in this year’s free agency pool. Some names that could be cheaper than Robinson include Andre Drummond, Jaxson Hayes, and Jock Landale.
None are incredible options, but they would probably be cheap. And in the Knicks’ current world, cheap is good. Plus, all three could play pretty consistently.
So, as the Knicks look for backup center options this summer, it would be beneficial for KAT for them to sign someone who can eat up a bit more regular-season minutes.
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