The New York Knicks could be getting a key piece of their rotation back shortly.

Big man Mitchell Robinson, who hasn't suited up yet in 2024-25 due to a foot injury, has been cleared to practice, as Tom Thibodeau announced on Monday. However, not 5-on-5 quite yet:

Via Ian Begley:

“Mitchell Robinson has been cleared for contact in practice; he isn’t yet cleared for full practice as he still needs to get through some steps before he’s allowed to play in 5-on-5 scrimmages with contact, Tom Thibodeau says. An earlier version of this tweet said Robinson was cleared for full practice. My apologies for the error.”

Thibs hinted on Saturday that Robinson was nearing that next step in his rehab:

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“Everything has gone very smoothly in terms of the rehab. So the next step will be the clearance for regular contact,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks faced the Los Angeles Lakers, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “The controlled contact, you know what’s coming. So you can brace yourself for it. So once you get out of that, where you’re just playing and reacting, that will be the next step.”

Robinson has found his name in trade rumors leading up to the deadline because he's injured so often. The center is also making $14.3 million this season. In 2023-24, he also played in just 31 games, averaging 5.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per outing. That being said, Robinson is definitely a defensive anchor for the Knicks when actually healthy.

Also, if OG Anunoby does miss substantial time, it'll be nice to have another solid defender consistently on the floor like Robinson. There is also always the chance that New York brings in another big before Thursday's deadline, but with Robinson trending in the right direction, that does feel unlikely. That's if they don't move him.

The Knicks are 32-17 and will face the Houston Rockets on Monday evening.