Lakers Need to Sign Mitchell Robinson Away from Knicks amid Latest LeBron, Luka, NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers have a tremendous opportunity to move the franchise forward during the 2026 NBA offseason.

And, no, this isn't a conversation framed around LeBron James' free agency.

Because regardless what James decides, this organization stopped revolving around him the second Luka Dončić arrived. So, L.A.'s clearest objective for this summer will be having its roster reflect this focus on Dončić by giving him as close to an ideal supporting cast for his strengths and weaknesses as it can provide.

The most critical step in this process will be adding the kind of lob-catching, shot-blocking center he needs to succeeed. While that archetype could be a bit tricky to find for less than top dollar, a risk-reward investment in New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson might be the move to make.

The Lakers "already have plans to pursue" Robinson, per ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, who added that they are "prepared to offer Robinson a long-term deal that would hold an annual average value around the mid-level exception."

That's no minor investment. It's also not the kind of piggy bank-busting coin that would be required to lure restricted free agents Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler away from their respective clubs.

It's a pay rate that would pretty effectively capture the risks and rewards of adding Robinson.

The risks are straightforward: His availability would be a near constant worry. While he stayed upright for 60 games this season, that was more than he'd played the past two seasons combined (48) and the second-most of any season since 2020-21.

He has also averaged just 23.4 minutes for his career. So, if L.A. planned on bumping his nightly allotment of floor time significantly, it might be increasing what's already a substantial injury risk.

The rewards still win out.

The Lakers need an impact player on the interior. Running it back with the Deandre Ayton-Jaxson Hayes duo would solve nothing. (That said, having the two around would make it easier to withstand Robinson's absences.)

Robinson is that type of talent. He is big and long with anti-gravity bounce. He lives above the rim on both ends of the floor and seldom strays away from his sweet spots.

There are few offensive forces harder to stop than Robinson rolling to the rim for an alley-oop. As a pick-and-roll screener, he generated a gargantuan 1.70 points per possession this season, a 99th percentile mark in the league, per NBA.com. And no disrespect to the world champion New York Knicks, but Robinson did that damage without the benefit of a top-shelf distributor like Dončić.

Robinson's lobs would be cheat-code buckets in L.A. They've basically been that no matter where he's played, as his career field-goal percentage sits all the way up at 70.2.

He would also leave a huge impression on the glass and the defensive interior. This season, he snared a wholly ridiculous 16.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference. For comparison, that isn't much less than L.A. got out of Ayton and Hayes combined (18.7).

Robinson also averaged a solid 2.1 blocks per 36 minutes and shaved 4.5 points off of his opponents' field-goal percentage. With his size, strength, mobility and explosiveness, he is a big-time defensive deterrent.

His skill tree may not have a ton of branches, but he is excellent at what he does. And what he does happens to perfectly align with what Dončić needs out of his center.

It would still be a dice roll for the Lakers, but risk-taking is necessary at times. And this is clearly one of them.