Knicks Mailbag: With Mitchell Robinson out, will NY add a center before season starts? |Max Sporty|

SNYs Ian Begley will respond to Knicks questions from readers. Here is the latest…

Ian… Maybe the Knicks should trade Mitchell Robinson to Portland for Robert Williams? – @hoppysport

This poses an important question for the Knicks: do you start the season with what you have or do you try to make a trade immediately for to replace the wounded Mitchell Robinson?

Like noted on Wednesdaythe Knicks expressed confidence in the depth and versatility of the team in the aftermath of the Robinson news. Speaking with people in contact with the team, the Knicks seem to be open to seeing what the current roster looks like at the moment. They didn’t give the impression they were in a rush to trade for a starting caliber center.

I can say this with certainty: they’ve known for weeks that Robinson might not be ready for the start of the season. This was communicated to outside parties by the Knicks when they looked at the central market in the off-season. I don’t know exactly when the Knicks knew about Robinson’s current schedule. But it’s fair to assume that the timeline wasn’t a huge surprise internally.

I point this out because if you look at the Knicks’ recent signings – Landry Shamet, Marcus Morris Sr. – they didn’t operate as a team desperate for a starting-caliber center.

Maybe that changes based on what they see in training camp or the preseason. But the Knicks don’t have many paths to a salary cap match in trades unless you include Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo or Julius Randle. Also, Tom Thibodeau already said on the record that he is comfortable playing Julius Randle at center for 15 minutes per game.

That theoretically leaves 33 minutes between Jericho Sims, Precious Achiuwaand maybe a newbie Ariel Hukporti. The Knicks also added Morris with the idea that he can play stretch 4 or stretch 5 against smaller lineups at this point in his career.

Something else worth noting: outside of Philadelphia Joel Embiidwith which threat back to the basket will the Knicks have to deal with in the Eastern Conference? That is not to discount what Robinson and the departed Isaiah Hartenstein meant to the Knicks. They were both pivotal to New York’s success, especially on the offensive glass. The Knicks will have to find a way to make up for the loss of second-chance points that will come with Robinson’s (and Hartenstein’s) absence.

But it’s not like they’ll have to face Alonso Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal three to four times this season.

So you can see how the Knicks would feel comfortable entering the season with the current roster.

But make no mistake: this team is in a championship window. The Mikal Bridges business opened the window. So there has to be a sense of urgency to win games. And by playing small ball, you’re asking Thibodeau to depart from a formula that has worked well for much of his Knicks tenure: a rotation that includes two traditional centers.

So I would guess that New York is aggressive in the trade market after December 15th (when most 2024 free agent signees can be traded) or before December 15th if it becomes clear that the current lineup is not works

Other teams know the Knicks will be looking for a center. So they will not deal from a position of strength.

But there should be several useful centers available on the commercial market.

We previously noted that the Knicks had interest Nick Richards, Goga Bitadze, Walker Kessler, Jonas Valanciunas and Andrew Drummond early in the 2024 offseason.

Depending on how things go for their respective teams, some of those veteran centers may be available via trade.

It’s hard to see a scenario where Drummond is traded out of Philadelphia, as the Sixers need a quality backup for Embiid.

The Magic invested significantly in Bitadze. So it seems far-fetched that they would be open to moving him this season.

Richards is eligible to be proposed now and Charlotte seems to be starting from scratch. So it’s not a huge leap to suggest that Charlotte may be open to moving Richards during the season.

Kessler is under contract. The Knicks were among a group of teams to register with Utah on Kessler in the offseason. Utah wanted multiple first-round picks at the time. Will the Jazz make Kessler available before the deadline? Will a team meet its asking price? Depending on where the Knicks and Jazz are in mid-December, it may make sense to rekindle discussions about Kessler.

I’ll always put Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns on a list of potential Knicks centers. But trades of that magnitude rarely happen during the season. And again, New York should move at least one of Randle, Hart or DiVincenzo to do business of that size.

I would put Robert Williams III on this list because Portland has two starting pitchers (Williams and DeAndre Ayton) and edited by a great man Donovan Clingan at No. 7 in the 2024 NBA Draft. Making Udoka was a big fan of Williams from their time together in Boston. With Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams and Jock Landale in the roster, there is no place for Williams in Houston. But maybe the Rockets are changing their roster, making room for Williams? Regardless of what happens in Houston, the 26-year-old Williams should have plenty of suitors if Portland decides to sign him.

I would add Ayton to the list because the Knicks have been interested in him — and have done background work on him — in the past. Ayton averaged 22.7 points and 12.5 rebounds (3.6 offensive) in 18 games played after the All-Star break last season. He shot 58 percent from the field during that stretch and has playoff/NBA Finals experience.

(*I’m not saying here that the Knicks talked to the Blazers about Ayton. So, please don’t suggest that they did. Thanks.)

Teams can make their players available through trade if they struggle during the season. I think Chicago Nicholas Vucevic and that of Toronto Jakob Poeltl there are two names to watch in this scenario. I’m sure there will be others. Detroit is worth watching. The team is under new leadership in president Trajan Langdon. I’d bet the total cost of two courtside seats at MSG that the Knicks at least touched base with Detroit. Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren.

QUICK HITTERS

Does that mean they can get both Marcus Morris and Shamet a roster spot because there’s sort of an injury point? – @AsaGates3

There is no additional roster following Robinson’s updated timeline. The Knicks have 14 players on traditional NBA deals and have room for one more traditional NBA contract. So they can keep Morris OR Shamet in traditional NBA deals. But they can’t keep both unless they waive a listed player currently signed to a traditional deal

Hate to put you on the spot but if you had to guess who the starting Center would be next season, who would it be? Sims or Achiuwa? We know Thibs loves continuity and Sims is the “closest” in terms of playing style to what Mitch provided. – @insidethearc__

My first guess is Sims to start and Achiuwa to back him up. This answer assumes that Randle is not ready to start the season. We should get an update from Thibodeau next week on Randle’s status. For what it’s worth, me did not take this answer from Thibodeau as a guarantee that Randle will be on the court at the start of camp. If he is on the court to start camp, he would be significantly ahead of the traditional rehab schedule.

Mitchell Robinson missing 2 months will have a huge impact on scoring. I’ve been consistent all summer saying that I don’t think the Knicks are a Top 3 team in the East. Mitch is too unreliable. God help the Knicks if OG misses games too. – @The__Cooler

I agree with Cooler about the magnitude of Robinson’s injury. I think it’s a big deal. And it’s fair to say that Robinson is unreliable due to an injury history. But let’s not forget how he got hurt. It was on Embiid’s elimination in the Knicks-Sixers series. And let’s not forget that Robinson returned to the court ahead of time at the end of the regular season because he wanted to be there when it mattered. Just my opinion, but I think that context should be included in any analysis of Robinson.