Mitchell Robinson to Hornets? Charlotte Reportedly Has Interest in Knicks Big

The Charlotte Hornets want to upgrade their frontcourt. After crushing late-season (and Play-In losses) to the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic, the Hornets learned a valuable lesson. They need size and physicality.

New York Knicks star and upcoming UFA Mitchell Robinson fits the bill. He's 7'0" and a much more physical player than Moussa Diabaté as a center. According to Marc Stein, the Hornets are one of the teams interested in him.

"Teams regularly relayed to me when I've asked around about Mitchell Robinson's status have pointed to the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors," the NBA insider wrote.

"Teams regularly relayed to me when I've asked around about Mitchell Robinson's status have pointed to the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors. Those are all clubs known to be looking for center upgrades." 🧐 https://t.co/qyKWLr5DBy pic.twitter.com/got7c1I4Tr
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) June 6, 2026

The Hornets are pretty cap-strapped, though. The reason they can sign Coby White with little fuss is because they own his Bird rights. They can exceed the salary cap to sign him. Re-signing him and adding Robinson makes things interesting, but the Hornets can actually do it without the cap space.

They have a Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception that could work to sign Robinson. They could also execute a sign-and-trade using Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, or Josh Green, all expiring contracts and potentially available players.

Adding Robinson would be a huge win. He's a very good defensive big man, and in the NBA that has suddenly changed once again, having that is crucial. Interior defense is growing in importance across the league, and the Hornets have to get with the times.

Charlotte found success, incredible success, with Moussa Diabaté as the five. If they bring in Robinson, this complicates things. The Hornets desperately need what Diabaté brings to the table in the starting five, but you just can't run a five-man unit with two players who cannot shoot from even the midrange.

Starting both Robinson and Diabaté is not feasible, not unless one of them suddenly develops a jumper. Fortunately, what Diabaté does really well is not necessarily something Robinson struggles with.

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) speaks with the media after the game | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Robinson's offensive rating was 4.3 points lower than Diabaté's in 2025-26, but his defensive rating was also 1.6 points lower. They're similar players in that regard. Diabaté's elite offensive rebounding is his bread and butter, but the Knicks big actually had a higher OREB% last season.

That's essentially what the Hornets need out of their center. They need a player who will grind out offensive rebounds and play good defense. Robinson can do that about as well as Diabaté. This would allow the Hornets to use a rotation of centers that doesn't really lose that.

When Ryan Kalkbrenner was in for the Hornets, the dynamic changed. If Robinson and Diabaté are rotating in and out, then that dynamic doesn't have to change, and the Hornets' frontcourt would probably be in much better shape.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets

Add us as a preferred source on Google