Knicks need to find a replacement for Mitchell Robinson, but what options are left?
Andre Drummond of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the first half against the Detroit Pistons on April 4, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pa. Credit: Getty Images/Emilee Chinn
It was a difficult day.
Difficult for Knicks fans who saw Mitchell Robinson as the link connecting the hard times they’d endured to the championship parade that just concluded, and certainly difficult for Robinson’s teammates, who offered up goodbyes on social media.
And the part that was just as hard for the front office: Robinson was gone, signing with the Boston Celtics, leaving the Knicks with a 7-foot hole to fill.
That might be as hard to take for the fans as the departure, waiting and wondering how the Knicks will replace a player who played such a key role in the championship, one who had created moments on and off the court.
The waiting may be the hardest part, but it’s also a familiar part of the Knicks’ free-agent signings during the tenure of this front office.
Last year, it was July 7 when the Knicks signed Jordan Clarkson a day after signing Guerschon Yabusele. The year before, it was July 15 when they signed Cameron Payne, which was followed on July 30 by a deal with Precious Achiuwa.
With the free-agent market open since Tuesday night, chaos has seemed to break out all over the NBA. With other teams arming themselves in an attempt to catch up to the Knicks, all the Knicks have done is watch Robinson and Ariel Hukporti sign with other teams — and some of the wishful-thinking names have latched on to new teams for more money than the Knicks have available to find a replacement.
The Knicks are still waiting, searching and letting the prices settle down — for the math to work and for a player to decide that filling the role that Robinson occupied is for him.
The Knicks have approximately $8.5 million left to fill out the roster if they want to remain below the second apron, an edict that Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan voiced just days after the championship was secured.
That money isn’t just for a backup center but to finish off the last spots on the roster. The Knicks have 11 players under contract and must have 15 — or at least 14, a number they can roster for 14 consecutive days and 28 days total in a season.
With second-round pick Jack Kayil likely to remain in Germany for the upcoming season — not joining the Knicks on the summer league squad — the Knicks could keep their other second-rounder, Tyler Nickel, on the roster for a second-round minimum contract.
The free-agent market already has removed any replacements on the level of Robinson, and that’s not surprising, with his three-year, $47.4 million deal agreed to with Boston putting on display just how far the Knicks were from bringing him back.
Robinson posted a reply to OG Anunoby on Instagram, noting, “I tried brother. I didn’t want this to happen. Hopefully the truth comes out at some point . . . ”
The best choices left include Andre Drummond, who told Philadelphia reporters that he won’t settle for a low-cost deal; Kevon Looney, who was with Knicks coach Mike Brown during the championship seasons with Golden State, or Nick Richards. Mousa Cisse, who played with Dallas on a two-way deal last season, was given a qualifying offer by the Mavericks, making him a restricted free agent.
The better option could be to trade for a backup center, whether it happens in the summer or during the season.
There were reports Thursday that New Orleans has no intention of dealing Yves Messi, whom the Knicks have had interest in before (according to a report by Chris Haynes of the NBA on Prime, they are “feverishly” pursuing a deal for him now). Charlotte, after drafting Hannes Steinbach, could move Ryan Kalkbrenner or Mousa Diabate.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
