No News on Mitchell Robinson So Far Is Good News for Knicks

The free agency floodgates have officially opened, and there was no shortage of deals involving centers on Tuesday. However, none of those agreements included the Knicks or big man Mitchell Robinson.

While there has been buzz connecting New York to some centers who are available, the team didn't make a move there on Day 1. Likewise, despite reports of Robinson having a robust market, he didn't quickly cash in on Tuesday.

Now, this sets up a different reality than many who follow the Knicks were bracing for—and it's a positive one for New York.

Lack of Mitchell Robinson news could hint at Knicks working to bring him back

Update: At 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Robinson is signing with the Celtics on a three-year, $47.4 million deal. Our original story follows below.

Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, with a player option in third season, sources tell ESPN. Robinson departs the Knicks after serving a key role on the historic championship team. pic.twitter.com/tl3R6nlU1m
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026

The most anticipated outcome on Tuesday was that Robinson, with no shortage of suitors, secured a huge payday from a center-needy team. He's clearly one of the best at his position in a free agent class that lacks many big names, so that should make him a rich man.

Yet, Robinson remains unsigned on Wednesday. Though more sought-after free agents sometimes take a little longer to sign as they weigh their options, this case feels a bit different given the context.

Robinson has watched Robert Williams (three years, $44 million), Zach Collins (two years, $17 million), Jock Landale (one year, $14 million), Jusuf Nurkic (two years, $22 million), Al Horford (two years, $14 million), Mark Williams (three years, $38 million), Isaiah Hartenstein (three years, $75 million) and Day'Ron Sharpe (two years, $20 million) all get paid between re-signings and the early hours of free agency.

Many of those players are in a comparable tier, or even below him. While that thins the pack, it also means there are fewer landing spots for a highly paid big like Robinson.

Now, Robinson could be waiting for a huge domino to fall like Walker Kessler and Jalen Duren. The Lakers are reportedly in the mix for both, and Los Angeles is also one of Robinson's rumored landing spots. The Celtics are another threat to poach Robinson, but they're sorting out their Jaylen Brown trade drama, which could be delaying their efforts to improve at center.

"Early talk regarding Los Angeles is that they are prepared to offer [Mitchell] Robinson a long-term deal that would hold an annual average value around the mid-level exception, sources said."

- @BrettSiegelNBA on Lakers potential offer to Mitch https://t.co/yZIFNYHTS3 pic.twitter.com/AgYbLLgHIe
— KnicksFeed & the Big Steppers (@knickzfeed) June 27, 2026

But if Robinson's sole mission was to get the best deal possible, that would probably mean cashing in during the early rush of free agency, rather than waiting and letting teams talk themselves out of splurging.

As a result, it's fair to wonder if the holdup for Robinson isn't deciding on which outside team to sign with, but instead giving the Knicks a chance to bring him back. While New York can't throw a massive bag at him because they are trying to stay below the second apron, it can deal bench players like Miles McBride and Pacôme Dadiet to free up an extra $7 million.

With Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet both returning, the Knicks have already secured the two bench players who stepped up the most during their title run. That makes McBride, who's also now on an expiring deal and set for an expensive pay raise, expendable in a time of need to get the impactful Robinson back.

Of course, as the reigning champs, New York likely doesn't have many friends around the league happy to help take on some salary so the team can re-sign one of its top contributors. So that may be what is also adding to the silence on Robinson, as Leon Rose could be trying to wheel and deal behind the scenes to come up with enough funds to pay the big man.

Robinson's return to the Knicks still seems closer to a pipe dream than reality. But it's at least inching toward a possibility as the eight-year pro sees possible landing spots come off of the board.

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