Mitchell Robinson's time with Knicks reportedly coming to an end

Mitchell Robinson is unlikely to be back with the New York Knicks next season, according to Stefan Bondy, who covers the team for the New York Post. Robinson is an unrestricted free agent this summer and the longest-tenured player on the roster, but Knicks owner James Dolan's stated unwillingness to pay into the second apron makes bringing back the current bench group cost-prohibitive.

Robinson has been in New York since being selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, making him the longest continuous presence on the team by a significant margin.

He has developed into one of the better shot-blocking centers in the league, averaging 7.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game across his career, though injuries have been a persistent issue, most notably repeated ankle injuries that limited his availability in multiple seasons.

Dolan has made his second apron position clear this offseason

The second apron is the NBA's highest luxury tax tier under the current collective bargaining agreement, triggered when a team's payroll exceeds a specific threshold set annually.

Heard it’s unlikely Mitchell Robinson will be back with Knicks next season. He’s longest tenured Knick but also an unrestricted free agent. Owner James Dolan said he’s unwilling to pay into second apron so running it back with bench is not feasible.

Teams that enter the second apron face restrictions that go beyond financial penalties: they lose the ability to aggregate salaries in trades, cannot send first-round picks more than seven years out, and have their ability to add players via the mid-level exception curtailed significantly.

For a franchise like New York, which has been aggressive in roster building over recent years, these restrictions can meaningfully impair flexibility.

Dolan's position, per Bondy's report, is that he will not allow the Knicks to cross into that territory, which makes it structurally difficult to run back the same bench core that helped carry the team through the 2025-26 season.

Losing Robinson would cost them continuity and shot-blocking depth. The financial math, as Dolan has drawn it, may not leave much room to keep him.

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