New Knicks Rumors on Mitchell Robinson's Future, NY's Salary Cap Ahead of NBA Free Agency

Mitchell Robinson's time in New York may be coming to a close.

According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks may not be able to afford to retain the veteran center in free agency this summer:

Robinson will be a contender to get the $15.1 million midlevel exception on the open market with a contending team, but as Collin Martin of SNY noted, staying below the second apron would limit the Knicks to offering either Robinson or Landry Shamet a deal in the $5-6 million range.

The 28-year-old was solid off the bench for the Knicks this past season, averaging 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game. But his injury history, paired with the fact that teams were purposefully fouling him during the playoffs—where he shot a shocking 29.3 percent from the foul line—makes him expendable.

If the Knicks are going to keep their core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart intact, all while staying under the second apron, sacrifices are going to have to be made. Unless Robinson is willing to take a potentially significant pay cut to return, he's likely to be one of them.