New York Knicks Insider Gives Mitchell Robinson Trade Update

Even without a 2024-25 game to his name, the New York Knicks’ longtime center is the center of attention when it comes to the team’s strategy at the upcoming trade deadline.

It stands to reason that the sliding Knicks (27-16) will be active on the block before Feb. 6 as they try to build up to a potential championship run. With most of their future assets shipped away in the deals that landed Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, one of their most attractive assets is Mitchell Robinson, the seventh-year center who has yet to play a game this season due to ankle problems.

While Robinson’s resume is decent enough, as the 26-year-old has carved out a stellar role for himself as one of the few traditional centers left in the modern NBA, a report by Knicks insider Steve Popper of Newsday suggests that his continued medical absence puts both New York and potential suitors in an awkward place.

“The Knicks certainly know better than anybody what his status is,” Popper said. “But when we talk to league sources, other teams have little faith that he’s not a risk without seeing him on the floor, and that risk is the same for the Knicks and for other teams. Who will trade for Robinson when he has had repeated foot and ankle injuries and can the Knicks count on him being healthy?”

The Robinson debate, Popper said, holds up not only his fate but also that of in-house companions Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims: the re-signed Achiuwa is eligible to be moved, and Sims “wouldn’t mind” a move away from Manhattan, but Popper notes that the Knicks are “hesitant to move one of them until they know if they have Robinson back.” He also notes that “it seems likely … that Robinson will not be in a game before the deadline.”

Head coach Tom Thibodeau briefly updated Robinson’s status, noting that he “has not been cleared for contact” ahead of Friday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but noted that he has “made good progress.”

“I’ve been very pleased with the way he’s approached rehab. Very diligent. Works hard,” Thibodeau said, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. “He’s doing everything he can every day and working on his conditioning. So he’s done a good job and so we’re focusing on what we need to do with the team right now and who’s available and preparing us for every game. But he’s done a really good job.”

The Knicks’ interior depth has been thrust into the spotlight, with Towns missing the last two games with a sprained thumb. He is listed as questionable for Monday’s holiday matinee against the Atlanta Hawks (3 p.m. ET, MSG).

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