After Marc Stein reported last week that there were “strong rumblings” about the Knicks‘ plan to sign center Mitchell Robinson to a new multiyear contract, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report follows up on that story today, confirming Stein’s report.
According to Fischer, there’s a belief that Robinson will receive a new four-year deal from the Knicks that approaches $60MM in total earnings. It’s unclear whether that amount would be fully guaranteed or would include incentives, but it would be a nice payday for a four-year veteran who has been earning the minimum salary since entering the NBA.
Because he was on a minimum-salary contract, Robinson has a minuscule cap hold, allowing the Knicks to keep it on their books without compromising their newly-created cap room. New York have the ability to use up that cap room – likely to sign Jalen Brunson – and then go over the cap to re-sign Robinson using his Bird rights.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Despite having agreed to move Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, and Nerlens Noel, the Knicks may not be done making trades. They’re still gauging the market for Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish, according to Fischer.
- Meanwhile, Fred Katz of The Athletic said in the latest episode of Seth Partnow’s Callin Shots podcast that the Knicks have also gauged Julius Randle‘s value on the trade market, though Katz doesn’t expect the veteran forward to be on the move this summer, as R.P. Salao of ClutchPoints.com relays.
- Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article that even if the Knicks land Brunson, there’s a belief they could try to make a run at Spurs guard Dejounte Murray or another player of Murray’s caliber using their collection of draft assets. Fischer agrees, suggesting that Murray began to be mentioned by league personnel on Tuesday as New York’s next target. However, Fischer notes that would seem at odds with the Knicks’ pitch to Brunson that he’d have the opportunity to run the show at point guard.
i still like cam & RJ on the wings for the knicks
Thibs doesn’t
Thibs shouldn’t get an opinion. First move should be to fire him and get a younger coach who was a player. Someone who wants to develop these guys and someone they can relate to
I was a big Kenny Atkinson backer when the Knicks were interviewing people for the job because of how well he did developing the young players on the Nets. Thibs did a great job two years ago, but they need someone dedicated to youth development, not giving all of the playing times to the vets.
Young coaches are A-holes. Watch Hardy in Utah.
With an off-season in the books we don’t know that
the knicks are a mess, all this to sign a pg when they have Rose, McBride and Jokubaitis.
they let Mark Williams slip past them and sign Mitchell Robinson, who is a nice player but Mark Williams has potential to be great.
If they wanted to upgrade at PG im certain they could pry Cole Anthony away from the Magic, who has a similar game to Brunson.
Magic aren’t going to give him away easily. I’m guessing they start the season with Fultz/Anthony/Suggs.
Stop Cole Anthony is garbage
Rose, McBride, and Jokubaitis all have major issues. Rose doesn’t play like a true PG and is often injured. McBride is raw and unproven. Jokubaitis is also raw and unproven and not a lock to ever even play for the Knicks.
Brunson might end up being a bad move, but arguing that the Knicks shouldn’t do it because they’re already set at PG is silly.
If Knicks want Brunson this badly…he’s all theirs. They’ve clearly demonstrated their superior personnel management skills time and time again over the years.
Is there any player anywhere that the knicks are NOT interested in?
….Even over the past decade?
It seems like there should be more of a laser focus on who/what fits, structure. Sometimes their focus is worse than an 8 year old child.
They’ve been trying to get Brunson since last year, because of his fit in their system.
Obi is ready. I’d move Randle if there is a palatable deal out there. Problem is you’re getting 80 cents on the dollar after his mood swings played out on the national stage last season. Management has to decide if selling Randle at a discount to open up roster flexibility is worth it. Or you can implore Randle to be a good soldier for half a season and flip him at the midseason trade deadline.
Toppin is a low maintenance guy who doesn’t need the ball all the time. The opposite of Randle
These moves leave NYK with a roster looking like:
Brunson
RJ
Cam
Randle
Robinson
Fournier
IQ
Toppin
Rose
McBride
A lot will hinge on:
1) Randle bouncing back to some semblance of his two year ago self
2) Barrett making at least a mini-leap
3) Brunson thriving in an expanded role
Even if those things break our way I think the ceiling for this roster is middle of the pack, barring Barrett just making a cosmic leap to stardom.
Not horrendous, but I can’t say I’m super pumped about the prospects for NYK next year.
I don’t think Brunson is a bad pickup although admittedly at 4/$110 million as rumored is a bit much but you tend to overpay in free agency.
As far as Randle I don’t think they view him as a long term piece anymore if they ever did. They resigned him because the other option was to lose him for nothing. Even if he’s not worth his contract his contract does have value if you can attach it some picks in a trade scenario. I still think they’re targeting a superstar if not this off-season perhaps at the TD or next off season.
With Barrett and Brunson in place a superstar player like Mitchell, Beal or whomever else may view the Knicks as a more favorable landing spot.
It’s weird how people don’t realize the Knicks signed Randle to an extension a year early, meaning losing him for nothing was never on the table.
His extension kicks in starting in the new league year (22-23) – meaning he played this season on the last year of his FA deal he signed to come to the NYK.
Which also means this summer he would have been an FA like LaVine, Beal, etc. At the conclusion of this season he had his 3 seasons, with NYK, needed to accrue full Bird Rights (19-20, 20-21, 21-22).
So what was the reason to give the extension before the 21-22 season? He had a year left, and would have Bird Rights at the end of that year.
The money the FO saved in his deal will now cost either assets to move him, or incongruity of the roster if he’s a bad fit for what’s being built.
My guess is the thinking was hedging against him duplicating his 2020-2021 season and then potentially seeking a max offer elsewhere.
Locking him in at his rate was in theory a solid move at the time – even with some regression he’s worth his deal. He just can’t continue to shoot 30% from 3 on high volume.
Having said that I agree with the gist of your comment – retaining maximum flexibility should have taken priority for Rose & Co last summer as opposed to locking in a roster that – while being the best NYK team in a decade – still didn’t show that much beyond not being the Knicks of the last 10 years.
Only issue with the unsureness of his repeating 20-21 and asking for more money is the Obi selection in ’20.
I feel like they needed to be pretty sure one way or the other whether or not keeping Randle on the team was a realistic/desirable option. Even in the summer of ’20 (Leon & Co. first offseason; maybe Randle isn’t viewed as the piece to build around)
If “hell no, he’s not [whatever criteria]” – then draft Obi if there’s a shot he’s a better fit
If “hell yes, or maybe” – then draft Haliburton since you could use a PG
But essentially drafting Randle’s “replacement” and then extending Randle 14 months later doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, regardless of roster flexibility.
…unless they view Obi as a transcendent talent, but then why allow your coach bury him on the depth chart?
Feels like there’s more questions than answers with the “why” of the Obi/Randle + extension dynamic.
Without a doubt. Playing Elfrid Payton over IQ was baffling. Not at least experimenting w/ small ball lineups w/ Obi and JR is even more baffling (esp this year when the season was done by Feb)
Arguably the success of the 20-21 season was a bad long-term event for NY, as it made it harder to move on from Thibs.
If NY had Presti at the helm (or just someone who could implement his modus operandi) instead of a FO caught between chasing the 8 seed and swinging for the fences the franchise would be a better position today, no doubt in my mind
Idk, if he bounces back and puts up a season even close to the one prior to his extension, Knicks won’t have to sweeten the pot to trade him. Something tells me he’ll play just good enough to get himself off that team.
On the other hand, if he pouts and turns his back on the team again you may not be able to trade him for ANYTHING.
The Cam Reddish trade gets more perplexing every day. They traded out of the first round last year for a future protected 1st, then flipped that for Reddish, and now they’re dangling him after he hardly played for them and basically has no trade value. Play him and let him rebuild his value then trade him at the deadline if they aren’t planning to resign him. He’s a 3 and D guy, so why wouldn’t Thibs play him if he’s healthy?
What is this, the 20th year in rebuild mode? 5 playoff appearances in 20 years and have only made it to the 2nd round of playoffs 1 time in 20 years…