As the NBA trade deadline approaches, the New York Knicks find themselves in a unique position. With a competitive roster and future flexibility, the team must carefully navigate potential moves to maximize their current success while preserving long-term optionality.
The new CBA and second apron complicate matters, limiting how often teams can exceed the threshold. For the Knicks, it’s crucial to identify the optimal year to go all-in without facing severe penalties. This season is off the table due to hard cap restrictions, but next year might be premature with Mikal Bridges’ extension looming.
The 2026-27 season emerges as a potential target for the Knicks to make their big splash. This timeline allows for strategic roster building and financial maneuvering in the interim. Any moves made now should align with this longer-term vision.
Evaluating Mitchell Robinson’s Future
One of the most pressing questions facing the Knicks is what to do with Mitchell Robinson. His unique skill set and impact when healthy could elevate the Knicks from darkhorse to genuine contender but injury concerns and the team’s evolving needs complicate matters.
With Mitch I always think back to the 2023 series against the Cavs. It was the ultimate proof of concept for Leon Rose’s vision and Mitch was arguably the player most instrumental in manifesting it. His overwhelming physicality on both ends nearly forced Jarrett Allen to seek out a darkness retreat.
The last time we saw him fully healthy he was putting up historically great offensive rebounding numbers and functioning as the clear-cut anchor of a top-ten defense that immediately fell apart when he got hurt (and didn’t resolve until OG Anunoby came to town).
If he can get back to that point and stays intact through the playoffs it’s nearly impossible that the Knicks would find a similar impact on the open market.
That being said the fear of missing out on a potential trade return if he gets injured again looms large.
There are also some indicators that Robinson has already irreparably fallen off athletically. He went from quite literally setting the NBA record for FG% in a season to shooting just 58% at the rim last season (13th percentile among big men). Robinson is also not nearly the shot blocker he was early in his career though a lot of that can be attributed to better discipline defensively as his foul rate has in turn dropped precipitously.
Overall his potential to make a positive impact was made abundantly clear when he guarded Joel Embiid about as well as anyone ever has despite being hobbled last postseason.
You know before Embiid ripped him out of the air and caused all this.
Personally, I’d risk it all and hold on to Mitch, but fortunately, that decision is not on my shoulders.
In Leon we trust. 🫡
For more insights and a deeper dive into the Knicks’ trade deadline strategy, tune into the Locked On Knicks podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Knicks Podcast:
• Potential trade targets and their fit with the current roster
• The importance of maintaining flexibility for future moves
• Balancing veteran presence with young talent development
