Ex-Knicks Lottery Pick Floated as Possible Mitchell Robinson Replacement

Getty Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks

Former Knicks lottery pick Kristaps Porzingis could find his way back to New York this summer.

Newsday’s Steve Popper floated the idea of Porzingis’ reunion with the Knicks as a potential upgrade at the center, replacing the rebounding demon but offensively-limited Mitchell Robinson.

“New front office, new coach, no ties to the hopes and dreams that he once carried in New York and the bridges burned on both sides. What you see now is a possible replacement for Mitchell Robinson in the middle that would provide outside shooting and clear the lane for Brunson, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle,” Popper wrote.

Robinson led the league in offensive rebounds in both the regular season (4.5) and the playoffs (5.0), but his limited offensive skill set has brought spacing problems on offense. He’s been limited to the dunker spot, and worse, he’s a poor free-throw shooter (52.9% career; 39.4% in the playoffs) that allowed the Miami Heat to employ a “Hack-a-Mitch tactic” that forced New York coach Tom Thibodeau to pull him out in tight games.

Robinson dominated the young and inexperienced Cleveland Cavaliers frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. But he couldn’t repeat it against the Heat’s more versatile big man Bam Adebayo.

Robinson was rendered ineffective against the Heat’s zone defense. His lack of post moves allowed the Heat to pack the paint that took away the dribble penetration of their star point guard Jalen Brunson, and the attacking duo of Barrett and Randle.

Porzingis could still represent a significant upgrade from Robinson, even if the Knicks are unable to trade for All-Star big men Joel Embiid or Karl-Anthony Towns.

Porzingis, now 28, was once the Knicks’ franchise cornerstone as the fourth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft before injuries and differences with the previous regime wore out his welcome in New York.

Porzingis is coming off his best NBA season, playing in 65 games, the most he’s played since the 2016-17 season. He averaged a career-best 23.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 blocks on 50/39/85 shooting splits. His 49.8% field goal shooting and 56.5% effective field goal percentage were also career highs.

Kristaps Porzingis’ Contract Situation

Porzingis has a $36-million player option with the Washington Wizards, which he can decline and can extend up to a maximum of $180 million over four years. The Athletic reported in March that Porzingis and the Wizards are seriously discussing a new deal, but nothing materialized. They have until late June to reach a new agreement.

After they missed the playoffs, Porzingis said he was interested in staying in Washington for the long term.

“I feel at home here. Believe it or not, I love the city. I know a lot of people are saying it’s not a sexy destination for a lot of free agents, but I really like the city,” Porzingis said via NBC Sports in April.

“Just seeing how people are around the organization, especially people at the top, how proactive they are, and I see how the willingness to get this to a better place, that in my eyes has a lot of value. That kind of gets me excited, so I’m looking forward to what’s coming, and hopefully, we have some clarity soon.”

However, with the firing of GM Tommy Sheppard, the executive responsible for bringing Porzingis to Washington via trade last year, the Latvian center’s future with the team is now in limbo. The Wizards are still without a new front office leader with only a month away from the deadline to reach an extension.

The Knicks do not have the cap room to sign Porzingis outright if he opts out of his player option and enters free agency. A sign-and-trade with the Knicks, which could involve Robinson, is the only route for Porzingis to return to New York.

Mitchell Robinson Could Be Part of a Bigger Trade

An Eastern Conference general manager told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney that the Knicks could make Robinson available this summer as a sweetener in a trade for a star.

“They have felt out the market on him because he is an old-school kind of center—good rim protector and rebounder, but he does not want to shoot past three or four feet and he’s not much of a passer. The Bulls had some interest, but it’s doubtful that would come back up. Dallas, too, but again, there just are no pieces that match up. There is not much of a trade market out there for him, so he is their guy. They could move him along if it is part of a bigger package, though,” the anonymous executive told Sean Deveney.

Robinson posted a career-best 9.4 rebounds this season, along with 7.4 points and 1.8 blocks on 67.1% field goal percentage, shooting exclusively around the rim. He’s just finished the first year of a four-year, $60 million extension he signed with the Knicks last summer.