Two wins away from their first championship since 1973, the New York Knicks will never have any regrets about making the NBA Finals. That doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t lament how competitive Mitchell Robinson’s free-agency market is about to become because of it.
Writing for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer reports that the 28-year-old big man is on track to follow in the footsteps of Isaiah Hartenstein before him, and leverage his impact on the Knicks into a windfall this summer.
A similar trajectory appears possible this summer for the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson,” the NBA insider explains. “Hartenstein's heir to the backup center spot in Gotham is expected to draw significant free agent interest this summer, league sources say.”
Fischer name-checks the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors as prospective suitors. Assuming this list is accurate, the Knicks are going to have an expensive decision on their hands.
Mitchell Robinson might be a bigger flight risk than many thought
Robinson’s absence of an extension has not lent itself to real anxiety over his future. A handful of teams pivoted away from cap-space projections, significantly thinning out the pool of legitimate poachers. Only three squads are guaranteed to operate with more than the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
The thing is, Fischer just dropped two of them as Robinson suitors: the Lakers and Bulls. Both teams could easily come in with an offer north of $20 million per year.
Charlotte’s inclusion is worth a push notification on Knicks president Leon Rose’s lockscreen, too. The Hornets will have the full $15 million MLE at their disposal. If they are seriously interested in him, it seems like Robinson’s per-year floor has been set.
New York, of course, can match or exceed whatever external admirers offer Robinson. But it has just $16.5 million next season in room beneath the second apron, which it has so far avoided. Though the Knicks’ salary-cap gurus appear ready to blast through the second-apron ceiling for at least a couple of years, they may be operating under the assumption Robinson would garner no more than modest interest.
Fischer’s reporting suggests the market for the big man’s services will be more aggressive than that. And with Landry Shamet playing well enough to draw interest on the open market himself, New York may find itself choosing between the two.
The Knicks did this to themselves
For better or worse, this is an issue entirely of the Knicks’ own design. Robinson wouldn’t be generating as much buzz if he wasn’t having a genuine impact on the likely champion.
Sure, the same old concerns persist. He can’t play a ton of minutes, the free-throw shooting evokes Maul-a-Mitch strategies, and his health will forever be in question. He’s also leveling up the Knicks’ offensive rebounding and possession-battle mojo, and receiving shout-outs for his one-on-one defense versus Victor Not-From-This-Planet Wembanyama…in the NBA Finals.
Prospective suitors understand the downside. Thanks to the Knicks playing so deep into the postseason, and probably winning it all, they also know how much he can mean to a champion.
This time spent on the brightest stage, up against the highest stakes, is going to cost New York—perhaps more than it ever planned for. Maybe even cost so much we’re watching Robinson’s last hurrah in the Big Apple.
Under the circumstances, this is a problem the Knicks welcome 11 times out of 10. But it’s a problem all the same.
Add us as a preferred source on Google