Knicks, Mitchell Robinson, NBA tade rumors, Knicks trade rumors
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Mitchell Robinson #23 and Og Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks react during the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden on December 07, 2025 in New York City.
New York Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson sent out a cryptic message on his Facebook account late Monday night, fueling NBA trade rumors and/or his possible unhappiness with the franchise that drafted him in 2018.
Many fans tried to decipher the meaning of the post, with some claiming it could be related to the fact that the Knicks did not sign him to a contract extension last offseason, making him a free agent this coming summer.
With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Knicks could potentially look to move Robinson, even though there hasn’t been any such chatter. The Knicks, however, are reportedly shopping two of their other big men, Guerschon Yabusele and Pacome Dadie, ahead of the deadline, per insider Marc Stein.
Mitchell Johnson Free Agency
League insiders believe Robinson may not have too many suitors in free agency due to his injury history. Last week, Robinson had a vague response when New York Post’s Stefan Bondy asked him about his impending free agency and if his uncertain future with the Knicks was on his mind.
“I tell you this every time, brother,” Robinson said. “I let my agent handle that. That’s what you got an agent for. Let them do your [expletive].”
Robinson’s injury and conditioning issues have also limited his role on the court, with the shot-blocking big man failing to average 20 minutes per game since 2023-24. ESPN’s Bobby Marks believes his limited role could also affect his free agency.
“When you go outside of your own team [to sign as a free agent], it just becomes a lot more challenging,” Marks told Bondy. “To try to find an offer for someone who averages 20 minutes a night.”
Greatest Offensive Rebounder Ever?
Robinson started this season as a starter in Mike Brown’s first campaign as Knicks head coach, after Tom Thibodeau also started the two-big lineup of Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns during the final few games of last year’s playoffs. However, Robinson has since lost his starting role to Josh Hart, with Brown preferring to bring him off the bench in limited spurts, especially when his team needs defensive stops.
When on the court, Robinson continues to make a compelling case as arguably the most efficient offensive rebounder in NBA history, or at least of his generation. While his volume of numbers doesn’t compare to Hall of Famers Moses Malone or Dennis Rodman, he collects offensive boards at a rate not seen in modern history.
While Malone and Rodman had a peak offensive rebounding percentage (ORB%) of 19-20 for several seasons, Robinson has posted an ORB% as high as 28-36% in certain stretches this season. Per 36 minutes, the Knicks center is currently pulling down an eye-popping 9.4 offensive rebounds this season, which is significantly higher than Rodman’s single-season record of 20.8% in the 1994-95 season.
The Knicks need Robinson to make a deep playoff run, given how terrible Towns is as a rim protector and pick-and-roll defender. To that end, the Knicks rank a mediocre 18th in pick-and-roll opponent field goal percentage (.516) due to Towns’ inability to be a reliable backline defender. They faced similar issues last year when the Indiana Pacers smoked them in the playoffs by scoring at the rim at will.