Mitchell Robinson is signing a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Celtics in NBA free agency, ending his eight-year run with the Knicks after a championship season. The move reshapes the Knicks’ roster needs and highlights the limits of owner James Do
When the Knicks finished their championship run, the story was supposed to be a return trip—another summer, another shot at doing it all over again. Instead, Mitchell Robinson is already walking away from the franchise that turned him from a raw shot-blocker into one of its most valuable rebounders.
Robinson is not returning to the Knicks. He intends to sign a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Celtics in free agency, a move confirmed by Stefan Bondy.
For the Knicks, it ends more than a contract relationship. Robinson had been the team’s longest-tenured player, and his departure caps an eight-year tenure that also delivered a title. At 28, he leaves behind a role that became central to the way the Knicks played—especially on the glass. Starting as a second-round pick. he developed into a key bench piece and one of the best rebounders in the NBA.
The fit between Robinson’s market value and the Knicks’ financial limits is the crux of how this happened. Even with his importance, it became clear the Knicks would not be able to make a respectable offer while owner James Dolan maintained his stated goal of staying under the second apron.
The Knicks were not sitting still. They already secured two of their top three free agents—Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet—along with Mohamed Diawara. all to multiyear deals. Those moves left the Knicks roughly $9 million under the second apron and still needing to sign three players as free agency begins Tuesday. Teams are allowed to start negotiating with all other free agents on Tuesday. though no deals can be made official until July 6.
That math left the Knicks with limited room to chase a player like Robinson on the open market. The expectation became clear once Dolan signaled the second-apron constraint: bringing Robinson back would not be possible.
With Robinson’s absence, the Knicks now need a backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns. The urgency is sharpened by another roster move already set in motion—reserve big man Ariel Hukporti is leaving for the 76ers in free agency.
There’s another ripple inside the franchise, too. With Robinson gone, Miles McBride—who arrived in the 2021-22 season—becomes the Knicks’ longest-tenured player.
Robinson’s ending also has a last image attached to it. one that felt like a punchline to an entire run. His final contribution came in Game 5 of the Finals, with the Knicks up by three points and 26.1 seconds left. He corralled Josh Hart’s missed free throw. preventing the Spurs from getting possession. and effectively sealing the win and the championship.
The decision to move on won’t erase what he gave this team. It just changes what comes next—and what the Knicks will have to re-create. Robinson is coming off his healthiest season since 2021-22. when the Knicks’ load management plan helped him play 60 games in the regular season. But the postseason was different. He was often played off the court due to opponents using Hack-a-Mitch, targeting his free-throw shooting. In the playoffs, he shot 29.3 percent from the line. Between the conference finals and the Finals. he also broke his hand in an off-court incident. adding to questions surrounding his availability and effectiveness.
Even so, Robinson became more than a matchup problem and a stat line. Fans grew attached to him—his quirky personality. his love of country music and monster trucks. and the viral moments he generated with the media. The championship team those fans fell in love with will now look, and feel, a little different.
And as free agency begins Tuesday with official business unfolding toward July 6, the Knicks face a hard reality: for all the celebration of June 2026, the “running it back” version of this story doesn’t include Mitchell Robinson.
Mitchell Robinson Knicks Celtics NBA free agency James Dolan second apron Karl-Anthony Towns Miles McBride Ariel Hukporti Jose Alvarado Landry Shamet Mohamed Diawara