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Mitchell Robinson, the longest-tenured Knick, is drawing googly eyes from suitors in free agency, and recent reports suggest a return to New York is increasingly unlikely.
Robinson has been with the organization since New York selected him with the 36th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Eight years later, he finally helped deliver the franchise’s first championship in more than five decades. If his time in New York is over, it will mark the end of an almost Dickensian rags-to-riches tale.
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The NBA’s salary cap complicates things for New York, which appears to be keen on keeping him. Mitch (or the Blockness Monster, if you like) is an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks are operating under a mandate from team owner Jim Dolan to stay below the second apron.
The apron severely limits roster-building flexibility through restrictions on trades, free agency, and future draft management. Because of that, New York simply cannot match the type of offer another team puts forth without making a Sophie’s Choice between Mitch and Landry Shamet. ShamWow played a terrific season for New York, was clutch during their historic playoff run, and now would also like a fair contract, thank you very much.
Several teams have already been linked to Robinson. The Brooklyn Nets (now with more Julius Randle!) reportedly have legitimate interest, while the Los Angeles Lakers (still with all that LeBron energy) are also viewed as a potential destination. Sacramento has been mentioned as another logical landing spot, particularly with former Knicks executive Scott Perry running the Kings’ front office. Regarding that last one: it is hard to believe that Mitch would leave the championship glory of NYC for the hinterlands of the NBA, but money is money, honey.
In New York, Karl-Anthony Towns is the starting center. Robinson is an elite backup who closes plenty of games, but he isn’t guaranteed starter’s minutes. Elsewhere? He could walk into a starting job. That’s an enticing recruiting pitch, especially when those teams also have considerably more financial flexibility than the Knicks.
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Losing Robinson would sting…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/open-thread-mitchell-robinson-leaves-140000316.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-27 14:00:00
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