New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is headed toward a period of unrestricted free agency that will go a long way toward defining the franchise's future. Robinson is likely to be among the most coveted centers on the open market, with defensive prowess and unrivaled offensive rebounding numbers that are certain to appeal to a wide array of front offices.
That may imply that the Knicks have no option but to try to re-sign Robinson, but an extensive injury history has complicated the matter. His strong postseason has only made it more confusing.
Robinson is in the final season of a four-year, $60 million contract that made him one of the best bargain players in the NBA. He's thrived when healthy, with 2022-23 and 2025-26 seasons that displayed just how dynamic he can be as a two-way force of nature.
Unfortunately, those seasons also bookended 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns during which Robinson appeared in 31 and 17 games respectively.
Compounded by the fact that he played 59 games in 2022-23 and 60 in 2025-26, the risk in re-signing Robinson is unavoidable. New York is projected to be just over $3.5 million clear of the first apron entering free agency and has areas in which it needs to improve its roster.
With the sincere risk of going into the second apron by re-signing Robinson and addressing the other roster issues, the Knicks have a simple yet puzzling question to answer: Is it worth it?
Mitchell Robinson: To re-sign or not to re-sign?
Robinson was excellent in 2025-26. He averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 offensive boards, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals in just 19.6 minutes per game. Those numbers translate to absurd marks of 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 offensive boards, 1.2 blocks, and 0.9 steals per 36 minutes.
Robinson ranked No. 1 in the NBA in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he can torment opposing teams when healthy.
That's continued into the playoffs. Robinson is playing fairly limited minutes at 14.8 per game, but stepped up with 13 points in Game 2 and tallied a vital six points, eight rebounds, and five offensive boards during a pivotal Game 4 win.
It was yet another example of how Robinson can make the Knicks a better team when he's available—and how important it is to have him in the rotation.
The unfortunate reality, however, is that the Knicks already have significant money tied up in other core members. In 2026-27, New York will owe $191,724,154 to Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart alone.
For as heartbreaking as it may be, that's unfortunately positioned the Knicks to have to give serious consideration to parting ways with Robinson.
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