The second-seeded New York Knicks recently made a game-changing decision to utilize star Karl-Anthony Towns as their primary pivot and, in turn, slide Mitchell Robinson down to the second unit.
The results have been quite successful, as they've gone 7-1 since the official shift was made and boast a point differential of +12.8 with such a lineup configuration.
Now, though this experiment has clearly done wonders for New York's on-court attack, especially in the scoring department, where they're averaging 125.4 points per 100 possessions with Towns at center, it's also a bit bittersweet, for there's now a case to be made that Robinson's time in orange and blue could realistically have an expiration date of February 5, or possibly even sooner.
Knicks could trade Mitchell Robinson amid successful KAT experiment
For years, there have been rumblings about how the Knicks could opt to move on from Robinson due to a bevy of reasons -- health issues, free-agency competition, etc.
With this recent surge in on-court production by the ball club with Towns now serving as their official starting five, the possibility of the big man being offloaded via mid-season trade now appears to be all the more likely.
Just last week, Newsday's Steve Popper highlighted in an episode of SNY's The Putback that the Knicks "don't like to lose a free agent for nothing," and that, if they feel they're at risk of seeing a player departing, "they'll make a move."
As things currently stand, the Knicks are one of only a handful of teams in the league residing in the second-apron, which, with the new CBA, severely limits their ability to flesh out their roster without enduring serious tax penalties.
The only way for them to avoid such hardships is simply to cut down on their payroll.
Robinson's four-year, $60 million contract is slated to come off the books this summer, which, as a result, will send him into the open waters of unrestricted free agency.
As things currently stand, the Knicks are projected to be just $4 million under the second apron for next season, with only nine players slated to return.
Considering he's still only 27 years old and is widely regarded as one of the best rebounders and rim protectors in the game today, even with his extensive injury history, there's more than enough reason to believe Robinson will field contract offers well north of whatever New York could scrounge up.
With how effective they've been without Mitch as their go-to center, why would they feel obligated to retain him on what should be presumed to be a starting-player's salary?
All things considered, the shift away from the double-big lineup to KAT being slotted back in as a focal point pivot could be argued as the nail in the coffin on Robinson's long-term future with the Knicks and, assuming Popper's remarks hold true in 2025-26, there's a strong possibility that the big man could be moved at or around February's trade deadline.