New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson hasn’t played a game this season as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. It is still unclear when he will be able to return, and the trade deadline is less than two weeks ago.
Mitchell Robinson’s health is the deciding factor in Knicks’ trade deadline moves
Therefore, the Knicks will need to start thinking about whether or not they should move Robinson for durable pieces that will give them depth, or play the waiting game and bank on him to provide that depth.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst reported that Robinson’s health status is ultimately the deciding factor for what direction the Knicks go in at the trade deadline:
“The one real path to changing [the roster depth], according to sources, is injured center Mitchell Robinson — either by his return to the court after he has missed the entire season so far with foot and ankle issues, or by his inclusion in a trade,” Bontemps and Windhorst wrote.
Robinson is one of the game’s best interior forces when he is healthy. He was the league’s top offensive rebounder last year and was on track to make an All-Defense team before injuries derailed another season for him.
The Knicks might need to sell high on Robinson
However, given his $15 million per year contract and the fact that he has lost his starting job with Karl-Anthony Towns on the team, the Knicks can’t continue to bank on him staying healthy and possibly carrying dead weight on the roster. His absence has drastically hurt them this season, as they have one of the lowest-producing bench units in the NBA this year.
While he would solve a lot of the defensive problems that New York has had this season, there is no guarantee that he will be the same player upon his return. The Knicks may be better off selling high on him to get some crucial depth pieces and additional draft capital while also freeing up cap room.
Ultimately, his rehab progress leading up to the trade deadline will determine his fate with the Knicks. The deadline is set for Feb. 6, and New York has six more games before the deadline, starting on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.
