The New York Knicks have been on a roll of late, sitting at 7-3 in their last 10 games. Those 10 games include a comeback win on Christmas Day against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as a win in the 2026 NBA Cup Championship over the San Antonio Spurs.
What's more, head coach Mike Brown has been flexing his team's depth, getting contributions from virtually everyone including Kevin McCullar Jr. and Mohamed Diawara. But one problem remains that must be solved before 2026 free agency — and possibly before the trade deadline in a few weeks, and it involves Mitchell Robinson.
Robinson is currently the team's only true center. And he is easily the team's best defender on its front line. He moves his feet well and disrupts shots at the rim. And more importantly, he is probably the best offensive rebounder in the entire league, averaging 4.7 offensive boards in only 18.5 minutes per game. That translates to a whopping 9.1 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes.
Robinson has slowly ramped up after sitting out the first four games of the season. New York is 14-7 in games in which Robinson has played this season. Granted they've played well without him, too, but those games have mostly been against the lesser teams in the league.
How might Knicks approach Mitchell Robinson free agency?
The problem here is that Robinson, New York's longest tenured player, will enter unrestricted free agency following this season. And that presents a major challenge for the team's front office considering how difficult it is to gauge his value.
While Robinson's value is apparent, evidenced by his tremendous impact when he's available. His availability has been an issue for one reason or another for much of his career. Robinson appeared in only 17 games last season and 31 games in 2023-24. In fact, the eight-year veteran has only appeared in 70 or more games in a season once during his NBA career.
Brown has been cautious with Robinson so far this season. Robinson has only logged 20 or more minutes on four different occasions thus far. And while caution is smart considering Robinson's injury history, it could be misinterpreted by Robinson as a way of artificially suppressing his value as well.
A Mitchell Robinson extension could put Knicks in bad position
Still, New York would be wise to pursue an extension. The dreaded (and incredibly restrictive) second apron is projected to kick in around $222 million for the 2026-27 season. The Knicks appear to have $203 million in salary commitments—and that's before a Robinson extension is factored in. They can carve out about $4 million more by moving on from Pacome Dadiet, if need be.
As it stands, New York will have about $19 million to sign Robinson. That fails to consider new deals for Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, Jordan Clarkson, and Landry Shamet. It also fails to consider their 2026 draft picks. So, that number could end up being a few million less.
A Robinson contract is a hard to project. He is incredibly impactful when available, but his availability remains a question. From Robinson's perspective, his former teammate Isaiah Hartenstein signed a contract worth $28.5 million per year a few seasons ago when he left the Knicks.
Additionally, Nic Claxton (Brooklyn Nets) will make more than $20 million per year and Jarrett Allen (Cleveland Cavaliers) will make $28 million next season. But the question becomes: does anyone offer him $20 million or more? And will the Knicks match if they do?
The Los Angeles Lakers will only have about $106 million on the books for the 2026-27 season. They are a logical team that could show interest. There are actually eight teams projected to have less than $150 million in salary commitments. So, interest shouldn't be a tremendous problem for Robinson and there are few (if any) centers set to enter unrestricted free agency that are as effective as Robinson, hence the Knicks' dilemma.
Mitchell Robinson free agency decision could impact title aspirations
Ultimately, New York has to decide what they want and how much they're willing to pay—if they haven't already done so. But what they do will inevitably have major consequences.
First, the Knicks are already set to be luxury tax payers so they will be unable to add a replacement player at a similar price point. In other words, Robinson's salary is very much use-it-or-lose-it, where they can either re-sign him or move on without the ability to replace him.
Additionally, the Knicks are pretty clearly better with Robinson. In the playoffs alone over the past two years, they are 14-10 when he's played and only 3-4 when he hasn't.
Those factoids support the idea of re-signing him. So, barring a trade offer that blows the Knicks away, it appears to be in the team's best interest if they keep Robinson, regardless of what it does to their salary cap and subsequent roster maneuverability.
Sure, the second apron is wildly restrictive, removing the ability to use the mid-level exception, aggregate multiple players in trades, send money out in trades, etc. But the team's title window is now. Hopefully management understands the urgency required to win, and hopefully they can capitalize on it.
