What is Mitchell Robinson’s future with the Knicks?

Will the tenured big man get extended, traded, or hit the open market next offseason?

We are deep into the dog days of the NBA offseason. While the Knicks still have two open roster spots and room to add a veteran, they may choose to do so closer to training camp. That doesn’t begin for almost two months. The schedule doesn’t even come out until mid-August. What is there to talk about?

While the questions surrounding a potential Mikal Bridges extension are probably the No. 1 issue in Knickerbocker-land, the future of Mitchell Robinson might be just as important.

Robinson, of course, represents a lot more than the Knicks’ backup center.

With his play alone, he’s more than you’re average bench player. He’s been one of the best players on the court in almost every playoff series he has played in, and he’s been a reliable defensive anchor and maniac on the boards. He’s the type of player that other teams gameplan for, something very rare for someone with very little scoring acumen.

But beyond his play, he represents something more. Mitchell Robinson is, by far, the longest tenured New York Knick.

While only 27 years old, Robinson has been in the orange and blue since he was drafted in June 2018. If he begins 2025-26 on the Knicks roster, it’ll be his eighth season with the Knicks. He’s the longest tenured Knick since Allan Houston spent nine years in New York from 1996-2005. While at first, his tenure was just a nifty fact, he’s slowly becoming one of the longest tenured players in all of basketball with their current team.

The only other players who have been with their current team since the start of the 2018-19 season?

Trae Young (ATL), Jayson Tatum (BOS), Jaylen Brown (BOS), Bam Adebayo (MIA), Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL), Joel Embiid (PHI), Dwight Powell (DAL), Jamal Murray (DEN), Nikola Jokic (DEN), Stephen Curry (GSW), Draymond Green (GSW), LeBron James (LAL), Devin Booker (PHX)

Of that list, only one player (Powell) isn’t a face of the franchise or close to it. Powell and Robinson are the only role players entering their eighth consecutive season with a team. For the Knicks, if Robinson were to depart, their longest tenured player would now be Deuce McBride, who was drafted in 2021 and is entering his fifth NBA season. This is a really new roster.

Despite his importance to the Knicks every time they find themselves in the postseason, Robinson’s future with the only club he’s known is uncertain. In the 2022 offseason, the big man inked a four-year, $60 million contract, re-signing with the Knicks while they grabbed Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Brunson in free agency. He’s entering that deal’s fourth and final year in 2025-26.

Now, nothing is stopping the Knicks from re-signing Robinson this offseason. He’s eligible to extend for up to four years and $89 million, something that shouldn’t be a problem despite some of the prices of centers that Robinson could argue he’s more impactful than (see: Jakob Poeltl).

The issue is that the NBA’s current CBA does not allow you to keep all of your talent for long periods of time. Barring something unforeseen, the Knicks will likely be forced into being a second apron team for 2026-27, whether via re-signing Bridges or trading him for someone under contract. While there are ways they can figure out how to duck underneath the apron again that year, none of those ways would allow Robinson to remain on the roster. Further, the deeper they go into the apron, the more luxury tax penalties they’ll accrue, which will begin to really sting the pockets of Mr. Dolan as the Knicks enter the repeater tax that season.

So, for Robinson, what’s the path ahead? The Knicks would be losing him for nothing if they don’t trade or re-sign him, but they would still not have financial flexibility if Robinson were traded now or midseason for someone of a similar salary. If they traded him for draft picks, what does that do besides give you a slightly better shot at the next blockbuster trade?

A bigger question might be Robinson’s market value, both in the trade market and the open market. The elephant in the room is that the Louisiana native just cannot stay healthy for a myriad of reasons. Lower body injuries have derailed multiple seasons of his career, and despite how important he is every postseason, he’s barely contributing in the regular season. Is a guy who struggles to play half the regular season worth eight figures a year?

I’d think his skillset is worth that, and maybe in another life, his next deal is loaded with injury incentives. However, the CBA making unlikely incentives count against teams’ apron status has effectively killed them in future contracts. What a potential Robinson extension might look like could be similar to the Zion Williamson extension in terms of injury protections. The Knicks could only guarantee the front end of the contract and have an out in case of one too many injuries, causing a severe decline in Robinson’s play.

Whatever way Leon Rose and company are leaning, they have a massive decision to make regarding the longest tenured Knick’s future in New York. He’ll likely be on the roster come Opening Night; the question is how much longer?