Knicks Starter Urged to Leave New York for Western Conference Foe

Getty Could Mitchell Robinson find a new home?

The New York Knicks wrapped up their season without making the NBA play-in tournament, which means they’ve dropped quite a bit from last year when they secured the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Because of this disappointing season, the team will now have to look into the mirror and see if there are any changes that can be made to get them back into contention.

One of the questions that will need to be answered is what does the team do with starting center Mitchell Robinson. When he’s healthy, it’s clear that he can be the center of the future, but that’s always been something that’s been in question.

Throughout his short career, Robinson hasn’t shown he can stay healthy all the time, and that’s something the team will take into consideration when negotiating a new deal in the offseason.

Because of that, Robinson might find himself wanting to go to greener pasture, and that’s something Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey suggests he do. He suggests Robinson joins Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers next year.

Robinson Jumps Ship

GettyMitchell Robinson will be a name to watch.

The Knicks know how important of a piece Robinson is, but if he can’t stay on the floor then he might be better suited elsewhere. With Jericho Sims and Nerlens Noel on the roster, New York would theoretically be able to weather the blow of him leaving.

Bailey notes Robinson would be a good fit in Portland because of his defense.

“…the Blazers need to prioritize defense for the rest of the Lillard era (however long that may be).”

He also mentions how dominant of a shot blocker he is when he’s on the floor.

“While Mitchell Robinson has had a couple of quiet seasons with Tom Thibodeau, he’s still fourth in the league in block percentage over the course of his career. And not posting huge numbers means Portland might have enough space to sign both him and Dort before using Bird rights to bring Simons back.”

The argument is the center might not be able to command a huge pay day in the offseason due to his numbers not being eye-popping, and that’s not even taking into consideration his limited offensive skill set.

What Will Happen?

GettyMitchell Robinson could leave the Knicks.

As of this moment, it’s tough to say what the Knicks will decide to do with their young center.

On April 10, team president Leon Rose told Mike Breen that he liked what he has seen from the center this year.

“Mitchell had a phenomenal year,” he said in an interview with Mike Breen. “You know, [he] was our anchor on defense and really took a nice step this year. He even showed us a little bit on offense.”

Rose said that Mitchell’s injury history will factor into a potential contract with the team.

“Everything is taken into account,” he said. “You have to look at that. You have to look at the injury history. You have to look at all of those things and make the right decision. For the most part, I thought he did a real good job this year.”

It will definitely be an interesting offseason for Knicks fans going into the summer.

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