Getty Is Mitchell Robinson on the way out?
The New York Knicks decided to roll with what they have for the rest of the season after standing pat at the NBA trade deadline.
They were linked to a bunch of different trades and deals, but none of them actually became a reality, but one almost did with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After filling up their last roster spot, it’s looking like there are no more moves left for the team to make, including the buyout market. For what it’s worth, Evan Fournier is glad the team is sticking with what they have.
However, this could prove to be a costly move because now it opens the door for rising big man Mitchell Robinson to leave New York for nothing at all.
A lot of team’s go through decisions like this, but Robinson is an interesting player to look at because he’s always shown the talent, but he’s also been injury prone.
There were a variety of teams interested in Robinson’s talent before the deadline, including the Pistons, but New York decided to keep him through the rest of the season, presumably in hopes of getting an extension signed with him.
Is Robinson Leaving?
GettyMitchell Robinson #23 of the New York Knicks looks on prior to the first half of their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 12, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to the New York Post’s Marc Berman, a source says that two teams who talked with the Knicks before the deadline are under the impression he’ll be leaving the team when he can.
“According to the source, two of the teams who had contacted the Knicks about Robinson got the impression they will lose him if he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer,” Berman wrote.
He goes on to state the relationship between the big man and the team isn’t on “firm ground.”
If the Knicks do get around to an extension, it can be for five years and $55 million. If he stays healthy, that’d prove to be a steal, but that’s a big question mark at this stage in Robinson’s career.
He’s been having a good stretch of games for the Knicks as late, with the lone exception being the collapse against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Pistons & Knicks Talked
GettyMitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks reacts during a 2020 game against the Brooklyn Nets.
According to the Post, an NBA executive says the Knicks were open to trading Robinson to the Pistons, and New York even offered a deal.
The Knicks were looking for a way to acquire Isaiah Stewart, a New York native, from Detroit in exchange for Robinson and draft picks, but the Pistons turned it down.
For a struggling Pistons team, players like Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Cade Cunningham have proven to be some of the few bright spots, so it makes sense they’d find a way to keep that core together. Throwing Marvin Bagley III into the mix could potentially result in a dangerous Pistons team in a year or so.
As for the Knicks, they’ll have to figure out who is staying and who is going based on how the rest of the year turns out. Day by day, it’s looking like even a spot in the NBA play-in tournament is slipping away, so the team will have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason.
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