The New York Knicks have largely stayed out of NBA trade rumors this summer. With training camp approaching, there’s now buzz surrounding center Mitchell Robinson.
After a promising rookie season, the 2018 second-round pick has been a productive member of the Knicks’ rotation. While he finished last season averaging just 7.4 points per game, the lowest mark since his rookie season, he was still a very valuable player for New York.
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- Mitchell Robinson stats (2022-’23): 7.4PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 67.1% FG, .197 WS/48
Among centers who played at least 1,800 minutes, Robinson ranked 11th in FiveThirtyEight’s Defensive RAPTOR. He also had the third-most contested rebounds per game (5.7) and led all NBA starts in contested rebound rate (60.4 percent).
With several NBA teams at least in the market for more talent at center, with several others needing defense and rebounding, Robinson’s name has been floated as a trade candidate. However, any team interested in acquiring him would reportedly need to pay a heavy price.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, the Knicks would want multiple first-round picks in exchange for Robinson. As the NBA insider wrote, there’s really no one in the NBA willing to meet New York’s asking price.
- Mitchell Robinson contract: $15.681 million salary (2023-’24), $14.318 million salary (2024-’25), $12.954 million salary (2025-’26)
There’s no real incentive for the Knicks to trade Robinson. Not only does he make just $15.68 million this upcoming season, which is behind the likes of Jusuf Nurkic ($17.5 million) and Jakob Poeltl ($19.5 million), but he’s also playing on a contract that gets cheaper over time.
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While the Knicks were pleased with how Isaiah Hartenstein performed in his first season with the team, he only started 8-of-82 games. Barring another team meeting New York’s demands, Robinson will head into the regular season as the Knicks’ starting center.