Mitchell Robinson is the longest-tenured New York Knicks player, and it will likely be staying that way.
The Knicks are expected to prioritize re-signing their veteran big Robinson in free agency, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Monday. Windhorst notes that the Knicks plan to go over the luxury tax line for the 2026-27 season.
This news comes after New York won the NBA championship by beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games during the Finals. Meanwhile, the seven-footer Robinson played a crucial role for the Knicks throughout the postseason as the go-to backup behind starting center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Robinson, 28, has been with the Knicks for his entire professional career since 2018. He received Sixth Man of the Year votes this season after averaging 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game off the bench during the regular season. Then in the playoffs, Robinson averaged 4.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in just 13.9 minutes per game and even had a championship-clinching offensive rebound off a missed free throw by the Knicks with 25 seconds left in the decisive Game 5.
Now this offseason, Robinson will be headed for unrestricted free agency. The Knicks should have a good chance of re-signing him as well since Robinson’s market is capped by the fact that he is a true backup center.
In the recent past, the former second-round pick Robinson has openly struggled with various mental health issues and even played through a mysterious hand injury during this year’s NBA Finals. But especially now that he is an NBA champion, Robinson has clearly done enough to warrant yet another contract from his beloved career-long team in New York.
