Head coach Mike Brown of the New York Knicks.
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Head coach Mike Brown speaks to media during his introductory press conference at New York Knicks Training Facility.
The New York Knicks are hesitant to offer Mitchell Robinson a lucrative, long-term contract, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic.
The report noted that the Knicks prefer to ink the shot-blocking big man to a “team-friendly” deal simply due to his inability to stay healthy. Robinson is entering the final year of the four-year, $60 million contract he signed with the Knicks in 2022.
“I’ve gotten the sense that New York would be willing to sign Robinson to a team-friendly extension that covers them in the event he continues to get hurt,” Edwards wrote on August 25, while analyzing Robinson’s future in New York.
“On the flip side, I’m sure Robinson points to his performances in the postseason and believes he can get one more nice deal from the Knicks or someone else if he’s able to stay healthy in a contract year.”
To Edwards’ point, Robinson was one of the Knicks’ unsung heroes in their run to the Eastern Conference Finals — both as a rim protector and rebounder.
Mitchell Robinson Shone in Playoffs
In the second-round series win against the Boston Celtics, Robinson held Jayson Tatum to 4-of-12 shooting as the primary defender, and didn’t allow All-Stars Jaylen Brown (0-of-5 FG) and Cade Cunningham (0-of-6 FG) while protecting the rim.
Edwards believes that Robinson could be in for a big payday if he survives the first half of the 2025-26 season without sustaining an injury.
“The most fascinating scenario that could present itself during the season is if Robinson doesn’t miss time leading up to the trade deadline and is as dominant during the first 35 games of the regular season as he was in the playoffs,” he wrote.
“Will the Knicks capitalize on his play and expiring contract and trade him then? Would New York keep him to continue their title chase, not break up the continuity and risk losing him in free agency? There are pros and cons to both in this scenario.”
Back to a Bench Role?
Robinson came off the bench in 14 of his 17 regular-season games last year, but was inserted into the starting unit during the latter half of the Eastern Conference Finals series loss to the Indian Pacers. Then-Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau felt that Robinson was needed in the starting unit to cover for the defensive lapses of Karl-Anthony Towns, who struggled to protect the rim throughout the regular season.
Edwards noted that new Knicks head coach Mike Brown will likely experiment with multiple starting units in the preseason before making a final call.
“I feel comfortable saying that one of these two lineups will start for the Knicks on opening night: Brunson-Bridges-Hart-Anunoby-Karl-Anthony Towns OR Brunson-Bridges-Anunoby-Towns-Robinson,” he wrote.
“Which one? We’ll likely learn that during the preseason.
“There are benefits to both, but the former proposed starting lineup never fully connected as a unit, especially in the postseason. Thibodeau switched to the latter midway through the playoffs, and while that group wasn’t awesome, it statistically performed better with Robinson in the starting unit than with Hart. Two teams have now concluded that Towns needs a more traditional center alongside him.”