Leon Rose painted a basketball masterpiece in assembling the New York Knicks’ 2025-26 championship roster. The next challenge for the Knicks’ president is retaining the players who ended New York’s 53-year NBA championship drought. A top priority for Rose in the next few weeks will be to re-sign big man Mitchell Robinson, who is entering unrestricted free agency.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes that the Knicks fully intend on bringing him back.
“Mitchell Robinson, he is an unrestricted free agent in two weeks here, and the Knicks are going to definitely try to keep him,” Windhorst said. “[The Knicks] are about $8 million under the luxury tax line. They know they’re going over the luxury tax. They intend to make Mitchell an offer that will keep him.
“He might have some outside interest, but they’re going to make [re-signing Mitchell] a priority.”
Below, we will take a look at where that “outside interest” could come from as the NBA’s “hot stove” season heats up.
Mitchell Robinson LA Lakers free agency rumors
NBA reporter Jake Fischer reported earlier this month that the Lakers were among a handful of teams that would be interested in acquiring Robinson, citing the need for a “center upgrade.”
Deandre Ayton, the Lakers starting center this past season, has a player option this summer, and The Athletic’s John Hollinger believes Ayton will exercise that option.
“Ayton signed a bargain deal with the Lakers that he massively outplayed and should be up for a reward in the free agent market as a result,” Hollinger wrote. “He’ll be among the most gettable starting centers on the market.”
Rob Pelinka has a ton of huge decisions to make this summer, with LeBron James set to enter free agency, and with Marcus Smart also available to exercise his player option.
There could be a ton of new faces in LA by the end of the summer. Perhaps one of them will be Robinson.
Mitchell Robinson to Raptors free agency rumors
Fischer also mentioned the Raptors as a potential team to watch when it comes to Robinson’s free agent market.
Toronto head coach Darko Rajakovic said shortly after the 2025-26 season ended that rim protection and rebounding would be a priority for the organization this summer.
“I think us having more paint protection is something that we can take a look at,” Rajakovic said on May 5.
Putting a damper on Robinson to the Raptors is the fact that Toronto GM Bobby Webster would have to do some salary cap gymnastics in order to fit Robinson on the roster. Webster is rumored to be trying to move big man Jakob Poeltl, which would likely help alleviate some of cap crunching. There is also the issue of Poeltl and Robinson having similar skill sets.
Mitchell Robinson Miami Heat free agency rumors
If Pat Riley does land Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade in the coming days, the Heat will need to fill out their roster as there will likely be multiple players dealt away from Miami. Robinson would serve as the perfect backup to Giannis, and the Heat are expected to have their full mid-level exception to work with in free agency.
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