Mitchell Robinson is mere months away from entering unrestricted free agency. It's perhaps the most polarizing truth facing the New York Knicks, as they'll soon need to decide whether or not to re-sign the fan favorite—as well as what a fair salary would be.
New York has benefited immensely from the team-friendly and frontloaded nature of his current deal, but soon it will have to determine where injuries and talent converge.
Robinson is one of the most dynamic interior defenders in the NBA, primarily due to how much range he possesses with his elite combination of length and athleticism. He's also a dominant offensive rebounder. That alone offers reason to believe the Knicks should re-sign him.
Unfortunately, Robinson missed 116 games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons and has been absent from 13 of 45 in 2025-26.
Therein lies the dilemma that the Knicks face ahead of a decision that will define the legitimacy of their championship window. Either they risk Robinson struggling to overcome his injury woes and thus create an expensive hole in their rotation or they allow an impact player to walk.
It's the most unfortunate of truths that will haunt the Knicks no matter what they do this summer: Robinson is too good to let walk, but comes with too many injury concerns to comfortably re-sign.
Mitchell Robinson: Too good to let walk, too unavailable to re-sign
Robinson has experienced inevitable ups and downs in 2025-26 after missing such significant time between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He's turned in a generally strong campaign, however, that's actively reminded the Knicks of why he'd be so difficult to say goodbye to.
Robinson is averaging 4.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.9 offensive boards, 1.0 assist, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 19.2 minutes per game. That translates to 9.0 points, 16.9 rebounds, an unfathomable 9.1 offensive boards, 1.9 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes.
Per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, Knicks starter OG Anunoby perfectly summarized the Knicks' dilemma when he praised Robinson as a player unlike any other in the NBA.
“He’s a special player...(There’s) no one like him in the league. His impact is felt every night in many different ways.”
If only re-signing him were that simple.
Mitchell Robinson offers Knicks what no one else can
The Knicks are true contenders that have to be measured in everything they do from this point forward. They've won at least 50 games in each of the past two seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024-25.
Moreover, New York has a surplus of hefty salaries on the books and will thus have limited financial flexibility this coming summer.
With that in mind, re-signing Robinson would entail endorsing him as both a vital piece of the puzzle and a player whom they believe can stay healthy. He's on pace to appear in 58 games in 2025-26, which would be his most since he played 59 in 2022-23.
The question is: Can the Knicks realistically count on him for even that lowered expectation of availability when he played 31 or fewer games in three of the five seasons between 2020-21 and 2024-25?
On one hand, the uncertainty suggests the Knicks should give Robinson no more than a one-year deal with a club option to prove he can stay healthy. On the other, he may receive better offers from rival executives who have more flexibility in their salary cap table.
It's the proverbial rock and hard place situation, as the Knicks must soon decide what matters more: Robinson's injury history or his unavoidable value when healthy?