The New York Knicks' refusal to surpass the salary cap's second apron has cost them Mitchell Robinson, previously the longest-tenured player on their 2026 NBA Championship winning roster. While the Knicks have already pivoted, adding 32-year-old Andre Drummond on a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum, it's becoming increasingly clear as each day of free agency passes that New York was never going to be able to replace their defensive anchor in one fell swoop.
Last season, the Knicks went several months without the bodacious ball handling of New York City's favorite Brooklynite. They didn't trade for Jose Alvarado, who proved crucial in Games 1 and 4 of the NBA Finals, until just before the 2026 trade deadline. Things clearly wound up working out.
The Knicks' future backup center might not come up as big as their smallest guard did, but they have plenty of time to find him. Several teams around the league have a surplus of big men, but might want to use some of the regular season figuring out which players they should consider part of their core. New York might just have to wait to finalize the roster tasked with defending their title. Especially given all of the draft capital they walked away from last week's NBA Draft with, they'll have the assets to make something shake.
Knicks' Mitchell Robinson replacement might still play for another team
Plenty of teams across the NBA have crowded center rooms, even after the start of free agency. Perhaps the Charlotte Hornets will decide they can only afford to keep one of Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The Los Angeles Clippers signed Brook Lopez and drafted Yanic Konan Niederhauser last offseason, then acquired Isaiah Jackson from the Indiana Pacers midseason, and drafted Baba Miller the other week. Will one of their centers become available in a few months' time?
Simply put, some of these roster crunches will need resolutions by February. The Knicks will have plenty of second-round draft capital, the same kind of picks they used to acquire Alvarado, ready to sweeten offers built around young players like Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet.
Drummond can certainly fill in as Karl-Anthony Towns' backup from day one. He brings an elite skill to the table, with his rebounding, that's set him apart for years. The Knicks' wings are uniquely positioned to mitigate his defensive flaws, too. But if New York decides they need to upgrade at some point, they'll have options.
The Magic's center surplus could prime them as a Knicks trade partner
Nikola Vucevic's return to the Orlando Magic is a heartwarming NBA story. It also, intentionally or not, signaled that some of their other veteran centers might slowly become available.
Between Vucevic, Wendell Carter Jr., Goga Bitadze, and the small-ball center they've made of Jonathan Isaac, the Magic project to have more deserving centers than minutes available. The Knicks should be licking their chops in preparation.
The best case scenario for New York is that Drummond emerges under Mike Brown as a lock for 15 minutes each night in support of Towns. In the case that things don't play out exactly that smoothly, though, the Knicks will be ready to pivot. They've done it before.
Add us as a preferred source on Google