Knicks Had Reasons Aside From Money to Let Mitch Robinson Walk

The New York Knicks likely said goodbye to Mitchell Robinson due to financial AND on-court concerns

Mitchell Robinson's new deal would've been costly for the Knicks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was fitting that the New York Knicks clinched their first championship in 53 years with a Mitchell Robinson offensive board. That turned out to be the lasting image of the longest-tenured Knick in orange and blue.

Over the last few days, Knicks fans went from "Robinson is a goner" to "maybe he can stay", to the reality that he's leaving and for the one place where it stings most. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the 28-year old center has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal with the blood rival Boston Celtics, with a player option in the third season.

His exodus is seen a casualty of the second apron situation and the Knicks not being able to come close to Boston's offer while also staying under the threshold. However, there's elements about Robinson as a player that could have played a role in how much New York was willing to chase him.

Knicks are dodging major risks that come with Mitchell Robinson by letting him walk

It will take some time for Knicks fans to get used to seeing Robinson in Celtic green, but the eight-year veteran went where he could get handsomely paid and is directly looking at a starting role. This is despite legitimate doubts about his offense and physical limitations.

It's completely possible that the front office disguised its reluctance to spend big on Robinson, given his hiccups, by hiding behind James Dolan's decree to avoid going above the second apron.

If you take the emotional investment out of the equation, two years guaranteed (plus a player option) at that number for a guy who has poor conditioning, can’t make free throws and needs to be load-managed is a risky proposition. It's also safe to assume people within the Knicks couldn’t have been thrilled about the big man mysteriously breaking his hand in the days leading up to the Finals.

Thanks to abiding by a strict load management program and not suiting up in back-to-backs, Robinson saw action in 60 appearances, his most since 2021-22. But he’s an injury waiting to happen and over the last four years, he’s missed 22 games, 65 games, 51 games and 23 games.

Then there’s his historic free throw woes. Robinson started the season 6-of-28 (21%) from the line and finished with a career-low percentage of 40.8%. Since Robinson shot 60% during his rookie campaign, his free throw percentage has declined every year, except for the 2024-25 season, where he played just 17 games.

Robinson has the worst free throw percentage in NBA playoffs history (minimum 50 attempts) at 35.5%. With that has come the Hack-A-Mitch strategy deployed by opposing coaches that’s made him unplayable at vital times. The Knicks will be going from hating the strategy to imploring Mike Brown to do it in big games against Boston.

When Robinson is on the court, he’s unquestionably a difference maker. The seven-foot center brings rim protection, is agile enough to switch onto wings during pick-and-rolls and has become one of the league’s great offensive rebounding forces. 

That said, he's a man of a few specific talents, along with major injury potential at any moment. Even if the team was happy to blow past the second apron, there's a chance they would've balked at this price point anyways considering his drawbacks.

There's no telling where the next year could go for Robinson as his health-tested body will now be recovering from its longest playoff run yet. Any step back in play or availability would've made him much harder to trade next summer, which likely was on the team's mind as it considered breaking the bank for him despite that massive risk.

At the very least, the team now can put its sole attention on finding the next main backup for Towns. That's clarity they lacked heading into this year's draft, but with the wing and guard positions shored up, center will be where Leon Rose gets to spend his time seeking a solution.

It's tough to see Robinson go, but it was the prudent decision to limit any potential poorly aging deals while the team tries to extend its title window.