Mitchell Robinson’s name has come up as Knicks talk trades

All teams have conversations about trades at this time of year. The NBA Draft is less than a week away. Free agency officially starts next Sunday.

So teams are gauging trade possibilities heavily at this point in the NBA calendar.

The Knicks are no different.

In New York’s conversations with teams about potential moves, Mitchell Robinson’s name has come up. I don’t get the sense that the Knicks are fully committed to moving Robinson at the moment.

But his contract (two years remaining on a descending four-year $60 million) is helpful to salary match in potential trades.

The Knicks’ priority is to re-sign OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein. If they re-sign both players and guarantee Bojan Bogdanovic’s contract for next season, the Knicks will probably be past the luxury tax threshold.

The roster could be even more expensive the following season. So trading Robinson for a player whose contract expires after next season would lower their tax bill and, presumably, give them more wiggle room beneath the second apron.

The Lakers, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are among the teams closely monitoring the center position this offseason. The Hawks have continued to gauge the market for Clint Capela. Yahoo! Sports earlier reported that the Knicks were gauging the market for Robinson.

If the Knicks re-sign Hartenstein and keep Robinson, they will have roughly $30 million committed to the center position. That may seem like a questionable use of resources. But it’s important to note that center depth has been one of the Knicks’ strengths. Head coach Tom Thibodeau often referenced the play of both Hartenstein and Robinson as key to the club’s success over the past two seasons.

Robinson emerged this season as the top offensive rebounder in the NBA. Hartenstein also had strong offensive rebounding numbers. Offensive rebounds were a key to New York’s success on offense in 2023-24.

If the Knicks trade Robinson, it would presumably make them a weaker offensive rebounding club.

Robinson, though, has suffered several significant injuries over the course of his career.

He’s played in 90 of 164 regular season games over the past two seasons. It should be noted that Robinson put his health on the line to return to the Knicks’ lineup in time for the 2024 playoffs. So you can call him injury prone, but you should also give him credit for battling back from those injuries as quickly as possible.

SUITORS FOR TOBIAS

Anunoby and Hartenstein are the Knicks’ top free agents. As noted earlier, the Sixers are interested in Anunoby. So Philadelphia is a team that bears watching over the next few weeks.

Logic tells you that Sixers forward and New York native Tobias Harris is unlikely to head back to Philadelphia.

The Long Island native turned into the face of Sixers fan frustrations in recent seasons. But he remains a highly skilled, versatile player. Several teams who convened at the Chicago NBA Draft combine commended Harris for his professionalism and leadership during the rocky stretch with the Sixers. "He never lost his cool," one front office member remarked.

Currently, the Mavs and Jazz are among the teams with Harris on their offseason radar.

Knicks fans who watched the Philadelphia-New York first-round series probably came away with a poor evaluation of Harris.

Look no further than Harris’ DPM, an all-in-one metric that measures a player’s impact while accounting for the play of his teammates and opponents.

Harris has had a positive DPM for each of the past six seasons, including 2023-24 when he played as a clear third option.

Teams interested in Harris will have to evaluate if his 2023-24 campaign was an outlier or an indication of where he’ll be over the next few seasons.

Some numbers suggest that it would be foolish to put too much stock into 2023-24.

In 1,300-plus minutes without Joel Embiid on the floor, Harris averaged 19.6 per 36 minutes on 23.4 percent usage last season.

In 600-plus minutes played without Tyrese Maxey on the floor, Harris averaged 18.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists per 36 minutes on a 23 percent usage.