Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Saga Has Shifted in an Unwanted Direction

It does seem like, with every day that passes, more signs point to Mitchell Robinson having played his final game with the Knicks. It's a bummer for anybody who watched him since he was first drafted by the organization back in 2018, and got to see him play a big role in the franchise winning its first championship in 53 years.

The past 24 hours have been an especially busy one on the Robinson front. It began Thursday evening, when New York Post beat writer Stefan Bondy reported he's heard that it's "unlikely" the Knicks bring Robinson back.

Then Friday morning brought more new wrinkles to this saga. The Athletic's Fred Katz noted that New York's front office has pushed James Dolan to go over the second apron, but he's "not changed his mind" on that aspect.

Additionally, the Brooklyn Nets are now appear to be part of the race to acquire Robinson's services, joining rumored teams such as the Lakers, Bulls and Kings.

"The Stein Line has learned that the Nets have legitimate interest in trying to sign big man Mitchell Robinson away from the team across the East River," insider Marc Stein reported on his Substack page.

Hopes of Knicks keeping Mitchell Robinson are trending in the wrong direction after Friday

If this is true, Robinson would join another former Knicks staple, Julius Randle. The Nets look like they are done with their latest rebuild, and Robinson can be a real threat in the paint for them, adding legitimacy to Brooklyn's frontcourt.

You can see why a team like the Nets, who are finally looking to compete, would want his services. While Robinson wasn't as effective in the Finals because of his hand, his abilities were on display in the NBA Cup. He grabbed a whopping 15 rebounds in just 18 minutes, while also out-rebounding Victor Wembanyama and the entire Spurs squad 8-6 in the fourth quarter by himself.

Brooklyn's leading rebounder in 2025-26, Michael Porter Jr., only averaged 7.1 on the year. And No. 2 man (plus starting center) Nic Claxton is now in Chicago as part of the Randle deal. That leaves Day'Ron Sharpe, who hasn't averaged more than 18.7 minutes per game in a single season, to jump into the starting five.

Robinson would provide a more proven and suitable replacement for Claxton in a flash. The Nets also have the second-lowest amount of salary obligations across the league, so they've got plenty of flexibility to pay Robinson what New York doesn't want to.

Latest offseason intel via @thesteinline, @jakelfischer:

- Nets have interest in signing Mitchell Robinson; Lakers also regarded as a "likely suitor"
- Jalen Duren sign-and-trade for Jaylen Brown can't be ruled out
- Cavs should soon have agreement on a new deal for James Harden
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 26, 2026

The news that Brooklyn's in the running just adds another threat to tempt Robinson into testing free agency. That's the absolute worst-case for the Knicks, who likely need him to be willing to take a discount and settle for a sixth man role to return. Instead, the Nets can provide more in both of those areas, and they're not the only one, as the Lakers also loom as a real suitor.

A bidding war breaking out would raise what Robinson can earn this offseason, giving him millions of reasons to ignore his emotional connection to the Big Apple and head elsewhere.

Of course, another thing to consider with a report like this is that it could be a way for Robinson's camp to scare the Knicks. What better way to do that than to leak that he could be staying in New York, except it isn't the Garden that will be his home, but rather the Barclays Center.

Then again, Dolan's over-the-top comments about the second apron show how much he wants to avoid it, so this simply could be other teams taking the hint that Robinson is being allowed to walk. It'd be no surprise if Dolan being so outright about cutting costs directly resulted in the official waiting line for Robinson forming.

And it appears the Nets may be at the front of such line as they set their sights on getting back to the playoffs.

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