Inside The Spurs

Should Spurs Sign Knicks Center Mitchell Robinson?

The Knicks center enters unrestricted free agency this summer.

Jeremy Brener

Should Spurs Sign Knicks Center Mitchell Robinson?
Should Spurs Sign Knicks Center Mitchell Robinson? /

The San Antonio Spurs have a lot of money to spend this summer, and they might want to use some of that to sign New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson.

Robinson is making less than $2 million this season as a former second-round pick but will see quite the pay raise this summer, likely somewhere around four years, $45 million.

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Clutch Points

Mitchell Robinson

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Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

Jakob Poeltl

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Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

Jakob Poeltl

Robinson has a massive 7-4 wingspan and has emerged as one of the NBA's better rim protectors and most efficient interior play-finishers. He averaged 8.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in a little over 25 minutes per game this season.

The former Western Kentucky Hilltopper could look for a more prominent role elsewhere, and San Antonio could be his next destination. 

The Spurs stood in the middle of the pack in defensive rating with 111.7 this season, good for 16th in the league. Adding Robinson's rim protection would help the team inch closer to the top of the NBA in that statistic.

The only issue with bringing Robinson aboard is what to do with Jakob Poeltl, the team's current starting center.

The Spurs wouldn't pay around $11 million per year for Robinson to come off the bench. However, starting him alongside Poeltl would create some spacing issues and limit the offensive potential the team could have.

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Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY

Jakob Poeltl

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Daniel Dunn, USA TODAY

Gregg Popovich

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Scott Wachter, USA TODAY

Gregg Popovich

Poeltl also becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023 season, so signing his potential replacement this offseason might be a bit premature. 

With Poeltl already set to earn $9.4 million next season, the idea of signing Robinson becomes more complicated. When considering Poeltl has more upside, the overall idea makes little sense.

Whoever signs Robinson this summer will be lucky, and while that may be the Spurs, it might not be the cleanest fit for both parties. 

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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