Mitchell Robinson's tenure with the New York Knicks appears to be on the brink of ending, but that doesn't mean he's destined to be departing from the Big Apple any time soon.
According to a recent report from The Stein Line, the cross-borough rival Brooklyn Nets have "legitimate interest" in prying the big man away from Seventh Ave this summer in free agency.
This report comes soon after the club traded away long-time pivot Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls and, in the same multi-team exchange, landed former Knicks star Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The belief here is that after years of underwhelming finishes and full-on tank jobs, the Nets are interested in putting together "a credible team on the floor next season."
Already sporting an intriguing talent pool headlined by Michael Porter Jr., Randle, and sixth overall pick Mikel Brown, going out and addressing their starting center position by signing an elite rim-protecting, league-best offensive rebounding, and highly athletic 7-footer like Robinson as their primary five could be a logical next step toward trying to achieve this particular goal.
Potential Mitchell Robinson departure due to frugal Knicks ownership
Since joining the Knicks back in the 2018 NBA Draft, Robinson has served as an integral part of the team's on-court plan.
Unfortunately, his proven production and positive impact over the last eight years may not be enough to keep him around due, largely, to the frugalness of Knicks ownership.
Though Leon Rose and company have expressed a desire to keep this championship-winning core intact for a potential repeat run next season, The Athletic's Fred Katz is reporting that James Dolan is opposed to entering the second apron threshold.
Should such reluctance remain, it would mean the departures of guys like Robinson and Landry Shamet, for example, may be inevitable.
Of course, even if Dolan relented on this mindset, there's no guarantee the big man would even be willing to come back to the Knicks.
By all accounts, Robinson believes himself to be a starting center in this league.
Considering they already have Karl-Anthony Towns, coupled with the fact that Mitch simply can't stay healthy for a full 82-game season, it would be borderline foolish to try to compete with interested clubs willing to pay him a starting-level salary when he'd be relegated to backup duties in New York.
Simply put, Robinson could very easily be priced out of the organization, regardless of Dolan's aversion to seeing the Knicks enter the second apron.
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