Ben Stiller, Knicks Fans Upset as Mitchell Robinson, Hukporti Leave in Free Agency After Title Win

Three weeks after experiencing the ecstasy of watching the New York Knicks win their first NBA title in 53 years, their fans are now in the agony phase with players from the squad departing in free agency.

Wednesday saw the Knicks frontcourt take a huge hit with Mitchell Robinson agreeing to a three-year, $47.4 million deal with the Boston Celtics. That came soon after backup center Ariel Hukporti agreed to join the Philadelphia 76ers on a one-year deal.

Ben Stiller was among a cohort of Knicks fans who took to social media to not only mourn the loss of Robinson and Hukporti, but to lament the fact that they are joining arguably New York's two biggest rivals.

Hukporti did appear in 79 regular-season games over the past two seasons and had limited playing time off the bench in 13 playoff games.

The Sixers agreed to sign Hukporti after they saw him play his best postseason game against them. He scored five points and grab nine rebounds in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals two months ago.

But the real heartbreaker for Knicks fans is losing Robinson. The 28-year-old was a second-round pick by the club in 2018, primarily played off the bench for eight seasons and became a developmental success story.

Robinson's hallmark was his offensive rebounding prowess. He averaged more than 4.0 offensive boards per game in four of the past five seasons, including an NBA-best 4.5 during the 2022-23 campaign.

In the clinching Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Robinson's offensive rebound off a Josh Hart missed free throw with 22 seconds remaining helped secured the victory when they were clinging to a 91-88 lead.

It makes sense a team like the Celtics, who have been on the other side trying to fight against Robinson, would want to see if he can be a missing piece that helps get them back to the top of the mountain.

Even though Knicks fans have every right to express their sadness about Robinson leaving, he couldn't have left on a higher note.