Mitchell Robinson Could Bolt Knicks for Surprising Team

Mitchell Robinson played a pivotal role in the New York Knicks’ run to an NBA championship this season, averaging 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds over 19.6 minutes per game. He also shot a fantastic 72.3 percent from the floor while playing tremendous defense.

The key was that Robinson was — mostly — able to stay healthy throughout the year, appearing in 60 games, his most since his second season in 2019-20.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Robinson is hitting unrestricted free agency, and with New York trying to stay below the dreaded second apron, the big man could be on the move.

Robinson will be one of the top centers available in this year’s market, and NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer have revealed two teams that are expected to pursue the 28-year-old once free agency opens: the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets.

The Lakers are hardly surprising. They are in dire need of a defensive-minded big, and with Los Angeles also expected to retain LeBron James, the front office is obviously going to do everything within its power to construct a winner around him.

The Nets, though, are a far more depressing case.

Brooklyn has expansive cap room, so the fact that the Nets are poking around Robinson and other top free agents isn’t a surprise in and of itself. But the fact that Robinson could potentially go from an NBA champion to one of the worst teams in the league is what’s so jarring.

Of course, Robinson wants to get paid, and the Knicks simply can’t afford to do that. They have far too much money tied up elsewhere, and the CBA makes re-signing Robinson a dastardly task.

Going from Manhattan to Brooklyn would surely prove to be an underwhelming basketball move for Robinson, but you can’t blame the seven-footer for chasing the money if it comes to that.