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Knicks center Mitchell Robinson must hope his sixth agent in three seasons will be ready for the new assignment.
Robinson’s action may have plummeted now that he’s likely out for the season. The 7-foot-1 center underwent surgery on Monday on a fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The Knicks had various options regarding Robinson’s odd contract situation prior to the broken foot. However, league sources believe Robinson’s foot injury elevated an option as a crystal clear decision for President Leon Rose.
As part of Robinson’s four-year contract, the Knicks held a team option for his final season at $ 1.8 million. That’s a very modest salary for Robinson, who has proven to be a mainstay of gunshot protection and rim protection when in good health.
To solidify his long-term future, the Knicks were fortunate enough not to exercise the team option and allow him to become a restricted free agent. Then the Knicks could match any offer that was not deemed outrageous.
Doing so would prevent the Knicks from risking losing Robinson as an unrestricted free agent in 2022, an NBA source believes Dallas will have an eye on central Louisiana.
Saturday’s injury in Milwaukee made a big difference. The Knicks don’t know enough about the player they still have. Or his durability after having had two surgeries this season and various ailments in his previous two seasons.
A foot fracture for a 7-foot foot is also considered a potential red flag with possible recurrences.
The Knicks’ best option could be this, according to league sources: exercise the $ 1.8 million squad option in July ahead of the draft, then try to hire Robinson’s new agent Thad Foucher. , to sign an extension after the start of free agency around August 1.
This is the path Bobby Marks, the former Nets executive and ESPN cap guru, would choose. With uncertainty over his durability and offensive versatility, Marks would set a three-year extension, $ 30 million, on top of that. The new pact would start from 2022-2023. The most the Knicks could offer in this scenario is an expansion starting at around $ 12 million.
“After a serious injury, I’m not paying him what Christian Wood got in Houston,” Marks said.
Wood, a power forward, was awarded a three-year, $ 41 million free agent contract in November. Robinson’s reps could still decline and test its market in 2022, but that would come with big risks. Robinson split from Rich Paul in December to sign with the powerful Wasserman Group – his sixth different agency.
Robinson, 22, will end this season after appearing in 31 of 72 games averaging 8.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
Reluctant to shoot jumpers or even inside post-up shots, Robinson’s shooting percentage is 65.3% – based exclusively on backhands and alley-oop dunks. An alarming figure is his free-throw percentage which has dropped this season to 65.3% after being at 74.2% in 2020-21.
The Knicks were desperate to see Robinson finish their starting cross after he returned to play on March 21. The second-round pick missed 15 games after hand surgery.
As a rookie, with various ankle and hamstring injuries, Robinson played 66 of 82 games. Last season, he played 61 of 66 games in a shortened season. The Knicks don’t consider Robinson to be a student of the game, but certainly know he enjoys playing.
However, Robinson is more injury-prone, scouts believe, than most crosses due to his active defensive style of play in which he can charge all the way to the 3-point line to block a shot.
If the Knicks exercise the squad option and can’t agree to an extension with Foucher, the Knicks can still trade Robinson. There was interest on the trade deadline last week.
For now, the Knicks will go with Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson as the center tandem and add a free agent pivot as “insurance,” according to coach Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks researched former Sixers / Nets center Norvel Pelle, a shot blocker in Thibodeau’s mold. They have had internal talks about Jordan Bell, John Henson, Thon Maker, DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside – if the latter is bought out by the Kings.
In the cases of Cousins and Whiteside, Knicks Brass is concerned about having a player who fits perfectly in the locker room.
But relying on Noel and Gibson comes with its risks for a team that aspires to the playoffs. Noel missed a game last week with shoulder pain and withdrew in Monday’s loss to Miami while holding his shoulder. He came back and was a defensive stalwart with 11 rebounds and four blocks, including a dramatic rim save on Andre Iguodala.
Signed for a one-year, $ 5 million contract, Noel is averaging 2.0 blocks per game – a career high – and it’s his audition as the Knicks decide to sign him again.
“Nerlens does whatever we ask it to do,” Gibson said. “He’s young. He loves playing defense. He can score whenever he wants. He has a lot to his game that he hasn’t scratched the surface of.
“He’s a talented young player. It protects the rim all the time. He doesn’t back down from anyone trying to soak the ball. He goes up for the block and especially all the time that he blocks it. He does a great job, really proud of himself. He must continue.
The Knicks have no choice but to let him go.
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