The New York Knicks seem to be actively prepping for Mitchell Robinson's exit, and it already seems they have a replacement option on their radar.
According to a recent report from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Leon Rose and company have their eyes on veteran pivot Kevon Looney, who is widely expected to have his team option declined by New Orleans and, in turn, enter unrestricted free agency.
Per their sources, the 30-year-old is expected to be courted by many clubs across the association, including New York's direct conference rival, the Boston Celtics.
Fortunately for the Knicks, however, as Stein and Fischer pointed out, the defending champs have a built-in advantage when it comes to a hypothetical Looney sweepstakes in the form of coach Mike Brown, as the two have a pre-existing relationship from the headman's six seasons as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors (2016-22).
Knicks, Kevon Looney have 'mutual interest' thanks to Mike Brown
Pursuing Looney is a sensible move for virtually any team looking for both frontcourt depth and a run at the 2027 NBA Championship.
He's a strong screen-setting and offensive-rebounding presence who sports a resume that includes 620 games over 11 years of action and three titles, all of which were won with Brown on the sidelines.
However, the Knicks may have the upper hand over virtually all other possible suitors for his services due to the aforementioned player-coach dynamic. According to SNY's NBA insider Ian Begley, this history and established relationship have created a "mutual interest" between both Looney and New York.
Frankly, outside of an unexpected Mitchell Robinson return or sheer reluctance to join forces by either one of the two parties, the only real threat to the Knicks ending up with Looney this summer could ironically be the club that helped New York come across their free agency edge in the first place.
By all accounts, the Warriors are looking to pull out all the stops necessary to put cornerstone Stephen Curry in the best position possible to compete for yet another ring during these latter days of his playing career.
Outside of their rumored targets like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who would provide the club extra star power, as seen last season, this Dubs squad lacks the kind of nitty-gritty intensity needed to successfully pull off a championship run.
If they can afford it, a reunion with Looney would likely be welcomed with open arms by Golden State, and, presumably, the big man himself would share such feelings.
Other than the allure of returning to the Bay Area, however, the Knicks seem to have as good a shot as any team to snatch up Looney this offseason.
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