The New York Knicks are champions. That sentence still feels weird to type given the 53-year drought, but it’s real. They climbed the mountain and got the view. The problem is that the NBA doesn’t let you stay up there for free anymore, and the Knicks just made a decision that might cost them a real shot at running it back.
Mitchell Robinson is a Boston Celtic now. Three years, $47.4 million. He signed with the rival that the Knicks beat to win the title, and that alone stings. But the bigger issue is why he’s gone and what it means for a roster that needs every ounce of depth it can get.
The second apron is basically a roster-building straitjacket, and the Knicks looked at it and blinked. They were already walking a tightrope with five players eating up 115 percent of the salary cap. They had about $16 million of breathing room before needing to sort out Robinson and Landry Shamet. They chose Shamet, giving him four years and $24 million. That pushed Robinson out the door.
Let’s be clear about what they lost. Robinson is one of the best offensive rebounders this league has ever seen. He doesn’t complain. When Karl-Anthony Towns showed up and bumped him to a bench role, Robinson just grabbed his lunch pail and became the defensive anchor off the bench. He’d check in, switch everything, protect the rim, and clean up misses. That’s not easy to replace.
The Knicks’ solution was Andre Drummond on a veteran minimum. Drummond is 32 now. His feet have slowed. He can still rebound at an elite level, sure, but the rim protection and lateral mobility are not in the same conversation as Robinson’s. In the regular season, that might be fine. In the playoffs, against teams that spread you out and attack the paint, it could be a real problem.
There’s a school of thought that says the Knicks should have just paid the tax for one more year. Run it back. Give this group one more chance to defend the crown. If it doesn’t work, then you start making moves to get under the apron and reset the penalties. It’s not like Robinson’s contract is immovable either. Teams always need a lob threat and a shot blocker.
Instead, the Knicks let a homegrown guy walk. A guy who stuck through the bad years, who never asked for more touches or a bigger role, who just went to work. And now he’s in Boston, where he’ll be highly motivated to remind New York what they gave up.
The front office clearly values flexibility above sentiment. That’s fine in theory. But flexibility doesn’t win you playoff games in June. Rim protection does. And the Knicks just lost their best version of that.
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