News & Blogs
Knicks’ free agency: 5 Mitchell Robinson replacements to watch if he leaves – The New York Times
REPORT: Charlotte continues to hit the reset button – Posting & Toasting
REPORT: Knicks, Celtics set to enter Pelicans’ center sweepstakes – Posting & Toasting
SEE IT: Knicks’ OG Anunoby throws out first pitch to Mets legend Jose Reyes – SNY
New Knicks Rumors on Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet Free-Agency Contract Buzz After NBA Title Win – BleacherReport
NBA champion Knicks to be honored with NYC streets named for entire team – New York Daily News
Shamet To Sign With Knicks!! |MItch Resigning With Knicks Unlikely – Knick of Time
BREAKING NEWS: KNICKS TO RE-SIGN LANDRY SHAMET! (REACTION) – Knicks Film School
Breaking Knicks News; Landry Shamet Returns To The Knicks 4 yr / $24 Million | KFTV Reacts – Knicks Fan TV
Knicks Free Agency Preview with CP The Fanchise | The Putback with Ian Begley – Begley Putback
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21 replies on “Knicks Morning News (2026.06.30)”
Happy four-year anniversary of Jalen Brunson signing as a free agent with the New York Knickerbockers!
Before we get back into free agency/second apron mania, a Question of the Day:
What are some of your favorite Brunson plays prior to this championship season?
Clear favourite is the crossover that got him about 8 feet of space to bury the Pistons last year.
I think the move is to sign Kayil to a 2-way and free up a spot for Huk. It gets us $5M for the TP-MLE out of a possible $6M. Probably enough for the level of Cs out there.
So:
Starters
1. KAT
2. OG
3. Hart
4. Mikal
5. Brunson
2nd Unit
6. Deuce
7. Alvarado
8. Shamet
9. Diawara
10. $5M Center or
11. Huk
End of Bench
12. Kolek
13. Dadiet
14. Nickel
2-way McCullar
2-way Dillon Jones
2-way Jack Kayil
EB, why sign Nickel to an NBA contract rather than Kayil?
Including trade candidates. Begley noted that we inquired about a Center who is currently under contract.
Now that Carton has suggested we’re ok going over the second apron for a year, I think these are more likely backup plans in case Mitch wants to leave.
Doesn’t matter financially which one. My thinking was that Nickel is older and his shooting should make him a bit more plug and play. Kayil might need some time to polish his game.
Worth noting that on the same ESPN segment where Vince Goodwill suggested some silly thing that I’ve already forgotten, Monica McNutt suggested that Mitch may want more than the Knicks can offer in a basketball sense. She said something like “he’s been a star in his role, but he might want to move on and have a bigger role somewhere.”
Monica is a thoughtful person and probably has some insight into Mitch. That might have been the key piece we’re all overlooking.
Hubert giveth, Hubert taketh 🤭
And if that’s what leads him to leave, you accept it and move on, and then you have no reason to want to go over the apron this year. I’d be sad to see him go, but that’s a perfectly understandable reason to lose a piece of a championship team.
I think there might be reasons on both sides that suggest that it isn’t going to work out. Mitch probably pissed our mercurial owner off with the mysterious hand injury on the eve of the finals, and said owner has also been watching him brick FTs in critical games all playoffs, which may not bother the more astute observer because of how he makes up for it, but could really rankle a shallow thinker like Dolan. He might be sort of saying, if we go over the second apron, it’s not gonna be to overpay for this guy.
On Mitch’s side, he clearly has some mental health struggles, and has also said some curious stuff in his social media posts over the years and recently (the “cardio” comments from the past sort of suggest he want’s a bigger role with more freedom to “create” and shoot. He probably doesn’t like getting load managed and getting yanked from games for his FT issues.
Obviously this is all speculation, but I do think it’s more complicated than just the money.
I of course love Monica but that feels very backfilled. All of the reliable reporting indicates the same thing: the front office wants to go into the second apron to keep the team together, but Dolan got it in his head somehow that keeping your prime age, championship team together is “suicide” even if there are no meaningful upgrade opportunities in the alternative.
That could be deuce next year too
I suspect if Deuce isn’t willing to extend this summer at a number Leon and Aller can live with, he will be traded, either in the offseason or by the deadline. Mitch would be the only important player this FO could potentially lose to free agency.
Piggybacking on Z-Man’s thoughts – Mitch’s departure is probably inevitable based on the totality of his issues. We need a player who can be healthy, a solid lengthy rebounder/defender, and neutral offensive contributor for 2 months in the Spring of 2027. That’s it. Mitch gives you 1 out of 3. Of course, that 1 is world-beating. The Knicks can try now or wait until mid-season to fill this role.
100%
I agree with the premise that whoever we get to replace Mitch as a primary backup is going to be a downgrade, and more of one situationally in the playoffs than over the. course of the season. As I said earlier, it would be up to Leon to patch the hole as well as he can, and up to Brown to utilize the replacement as effectively as possible. Clearly, no one is going to protect the rim or rebound our misses as well as Mitch. We’ll have to make up for that in other areas and hope that it nets out.
Yeah if Mitch wants a bigger role (he was a starter at one point), I don’t think there is much we can do about that.
I do think he could play more minutes this season but, end of the day, hack a Mitch makes it really hard to play him major minutes in the playoffs. So that’s on him, unfortunately.
I’m listening right now to The Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and it feels appropriate with Mitch. We may not get what we always want, but I trust with Leon we’ll get what we need.
All I gotta say is at one point we thought we might lose Diawara, Shamet and Mitch (and maybe even Alvarado). and now we might only lose Mitch. If we do Mitch, if we can sign Looney for the vet minimum and stay under the SA, then we could potentially swing for a trade at the deadline for another center if we feel we need that.
I also do think there is a real possibility we will go over the SA and keep Mitch with the understanding that KAT and Hart will re-sign/re-structure their next deals to help us go back under next year.
And if that is what ends up happening, I think the vibes could potentially be immaculate next season with everyone getting paid and being happy (well, except Deuce, but he’ll just have to show out next season).
FWIW Monica said this extremely early, before any of the reporting. I think it was the day of the parade.
I believe all the reporting was accurate and that Dolan did get it in his head. But the Carton stuff to me is an extremely clear signal that Dolan has changed his mind.
26-27 offseason nyk-only cap simulator. no trades just signings.
https://www.entropyisrude.com/knicks_cap_2026.html
I also wonder whether Mitch is a bit homesick. That was quite the reception he got in Louisiana, and he looked really happy up on that truck in his 10-gallon hat. I wonder whether the Pels would be interested in a sign-and-trade for Missi plus whatever was needed to make the money work. Not that Missi is ready for prime time, but it would be better than losing him for nothing and Mitch would be both a home-town (sort of) hero and would have an expanded role.
Here’s the Monica link:
https://youtu.be/A-AKNmFGwoI?si=oXxMukCjNT0QwmHU&t=360
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