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Amid news about Jalen Brunson's Knicks' future, New York faces a brutal reality on Mitchell Robinson's free agency and offseason cap space.
TheNew York Knicks have run through the gamut of emotions through the first two-thirds of the 2025-26 NBA season, and that will likely continue for the rest of the year and into the offseason.
Regardless of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumorsof it all, one issue that the Knicks will have to address is upcoming free agent Mitchell Robinson. The big man has been a mainstay in New York for the past few years, but in the last year of his contract, he could leave over the summer in search of a larger deal.
Writing for Bleacher Report, Andy Bailey named Robinson as the Knicks’ most likely player to leave in free agency this summer.
“New York having his Bird rights means it has a pretty good chance to bring him back, but the roster is already wellover the tax at his current salary,” he wrote. “And with Robinson turning 28 in April (and thus, being smack-dab in the middle of his prime), he’ll probably be looking for a raise this summer.”
He signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Knicks in the summer of 2022, but Robinson will enter unrestricted free agency this offseason.
Knicks Could Lose Mitchell Robinson In Free Agency
Robinson is by no means new to the ‘is he staying or leaving’ game with the Knicks, consistently dropping cryptic posts, whether it be from him or his agent, about his uncertain future in New York.
However, with the numbershe’s put up this season, it’s hard to see the Knicks not at least try to keep him around. Currently averaging 5.1 points and 8.7 rebounds on 68.8% shooting, Robinson is one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA.
“Mitchell Robinson is a one-man wrecking machine on the glass, where his8.4 offensive rebounds per 75 possessions is nearly a full point clear of second-place Steven Adams’ 7.5,” Bailey added. “When he’s on the floor, thanks in large part to those extra shots he generates for his team, the New York Knicks score2.8 more points per 100 possessions.”
But in that same vein, teams around the league will likely be lining up to add hisskillset this summer. Title hopeful teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and others could desperately use his rebounding ability, and while the Knicks already have Karl-Anthony Towns, resigning Robinson to an even larger contract than the one he is currently onis going to be difficult.
He’s impactful, but has had an uncertain future in New York for years now, and finally, as an upcoming free agent, Robinson could leave the team he’s spent the first eight seasons of his career with.
Jalen Brunson Commits To Knicks Future
While Robinson’s future is still up in the air, Knicks’ faithful can sleep well knowing that franchise star Jalen Brunson is likely staying for the long haul.
In a recent interview with Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Brunson said that he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Knicks.
“I would love to be here for the rest of my career. I love this place,” Brunson said. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. They’ve been behind my back since Day 1. I built a life here. And I love the city, I love the fans, I love everything this place has offered me, on and off the court.So Ijust love it here. And I’d love to stay.”
The franchise star of New York had previously said that heis hoping toget a pay raise in his next contract with the Knicks, as he took a cut signing his last deal, creating cap space for the team togo out and sign other players, which they did.
“Brunson accepted afour-year, $156.5 million deal when he would have been eligible to extend with the Knicks for five years and up to $269 million if he waited until after the 2024-25 season to sign,” Adam Wells wrote for B/R. “Sam Rose, Brunson’s agent, toldAdrian Wojnarowski at the time that Brunson will be able to make up for the difference on the back end when he could sign either a four-year, $323 million extension in the summer of 2028 or five-year, $418 million in 2029.”
With that, cap space for the Knicks is only going toget tougher and tougher to manage, making the idea of keeping the rest of the core together, while eventually resigning Brunson and Robinson to newdeals, all the moredifficult.
However, Brunson appears to be priority number one in New York, withthem figuring out the rest of the core after that. A trade for Antetokounmpo could also come soon, but if it does ever come to fruition, every player barring Brunson could be on the table to be moved for the 2021 Finals MVP.