Mitchell Robinson was a casualty of the New York Knicks’ salary cap limitations, and he does not appear to be happy about it.
Robinson posted a farewell message to Knicks fans on Instagram on Wednesday after agreeing to sign with the Boston Celtics. Many of his former teammates popped up in the comments to wish him well. One such teammate was OG Anunoby, who posted a sad emoji in response to Robinson’s exit.
Robinson replied by making it clear that he had not wanted to leave the Knicks, and hinted at some sort of behind-the-scenes drama.
“I tried brother I didn’t want this to happen,” Robinson wrote. “Hopefully the truth comes out at some point.”
Mitchell Robinson on Instagram:
— Kris Pursiainen (@krispursiainen) July 2, 2026
“I tried brother I didn’t want this to happen hopefully the truth comes out at some point.” pic.twitter.com/O8op1vVSwv
It is unclear what sort of truth Robinson might be referring to, but the circumstances of his departure seem to be pretty clear. Owner James Dolan openly said the team would not go into the second apron to retain their free agents, which essentially confirmed that someone would have to leave. The team was able to retain Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet for just shy of $11 million per year, and while that still leaves them with a bit of wiggle room to stay below that $222 million payroll, they had no real way of fitting Robinson in unless he took an enormous discount.
Robinson ultimately joined the Celtics for over $15 million annually, far more than the Knicks would have been able to pay him without sacrificing one or both of Alvarado and Shamet.
The Knicks and Robinson seemingly wanted to run it back. The reality of the salary cap, however, prevented them from doing that.
