Overview
- Mitchell Robinson signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Boston Celtics earlier this month after leaving the New York Knicks in free agency.
- The Knicks held Robinson’s Bird rights but chose not to use them because exceeding the second salary apron triggers stricter roster rules and much higher luxury-tax penalties.
- Knicks captain Jalen Brunson tied Robinson’s departure directly to the second-apron constraint and said he would have liked to keep the 28-year-old on the title team.
- Karl-Anthony Towns said it will feel “weird” to see Robinson in a Celtics jersey and joked that Robinson “owes me a pickup truck,” and Robinson’s social post said he “didn’t want this to happen.”
- New York signed Andre Drummond as a low-cost primary backup to Karl-Anthony Towns to preserve financial flexibility, a move that leaves questions about frontcourt depth and locker-room continuity as the Knicks defend their title.