In the seven games Mitchell Robinson has played, he's been forceful. He has left head coach Mike Brown, at times, yelling postgame about his box scores. However, the Knicks' front office has shown since 2020 that it prefers to have players under contract to avoid them entering unrestricted free agency. They did not extend Robinson, whose deal expires after this season. What kind of contract can the two sides agree on to extend the longest-tenured Knicks' time in New York?
Mitchell Robinson's injury history makes a new contract tough
If finding the sweet spot for Robinson's next deal was easy, the Knicks probably would have done it this past offseason. It's no secret that he's dealt with injuries throughout his career. He began this season on the bench because of "load management," which left fans wondering if the team needed to dial back on its preseason workouts.
The Knicks later revealed that Robinson was managing a left ankle injury. This provided the clarity many were searching for but not a clean bill of health for the 27-year-old center. He's averaged just 16.2 minutes per game in seven games. Knicks head coach Mike Brown has played him mostly in short spurts, saying that the training staff has been slowly clearing him for more playing time.
Robinson had five points and 11 rebounds in Monday night's loss to the Miami Heat. That performance, in 18 minutes, brought his season averages to 3.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. His true value, however, shows in the playoffs. He's helped the Knicks to several series wins when it matters most.
Brainstorming a new deal for Robinson
If the Knicks could reach a new deal with Robinson next offseason, it could be fair for both sides for it to involve some sort of incentive-based ladder based on how many games he plays. Pelicans star Zion Williamson kind of infamously has a contract with these kind of stipulations, but it wouldn't be worthy of any drama for New York to put the option on the table.
New York could offer Robinson a choice between two deals, for example. One could pay an average of $16 million per year, guaranteed, for three seasons with a team option on the third year. The other deal could be one that would pay him about $18 million on average but with only $14 million AAV guaranteed and the rest accessible through incentives tied to his health.
These figures were produced on the spot solely for the purpose of this thought exercise. But if the minds behind the Knicks' cap wizardry of recent years can figure out a way to keep Robinson around, they should. Teams around the league are willing to take on perceived injury risk if it gives their team a championship ceiling. While the Knicks certainly need to make sure that they don't over-expose their roster to likely injury troubles, they should also be willing to do what it takes to win.