Since being selected as the No. 36 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has shown huge potential to become one of the most dominant big men in the league. Despite mostly coming off the bench in his first two years, Robinson has been posting incredible numbers and continues to establish an impressive performance on both ends of the floor. This season, the 22-year-old center is averaging 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 74.2 percent from the field.
Though he’s yet to unlock his ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc, the Knicks are strongly considering Robinson as part of their long-term future. As a matter of fact, the Knicks value Robinson so much that they made him untouchable even in deals that would help them land a legitimate superstar . According to Ian Begley of SportsNet New York , the Knicks refused to include Robinson in the trade package that would have sent All-Star center Anthony Davis to New York last summer.
“That depends on who the Knicks would receive in a trade of Robinson,” Begley said when asked if Robinson was expendable. “Steve Mills and Scott Perry were not open to moving Robinson last year in any package that would have returned Anthony Davis, per sources. But Mills and Perry also drafted Robinson. Generally speaking, executives who draft a player are more reluctant to trade the prospect.”
Begley’s revelations would definitely break the heart of lots of Knicks’ fans who have been dreaming of seeing a legitimate superstar play again for their team. Some people may think that trading Robinson for Davis would be a foolish move since “The Brow” could only be a one-year rental for the Knicks. However, when Davis demanded a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans last summer, he included the Knicks on the list of teams where he would consider staying long-term.
Had they made a different decision, the Knicks would have been a very different team right now. If they had Davis on their roster before 2019’s free agency, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant might have signed with a different New York team last summer. A “Big Three” of Davis, Irving, and Durant would not only give the Knicks a strong chance of fully dominating the Eastern Conference, but it would also make them the heavy favorite to win the 2020 championship title.
As of now, the two men — Mills and Perry — who refused to trade Robinson for Davis are no longer part of the Knicks’ front office. With Leon Rose serving as the new president of basketball operations, Begley believes that the Knicks are unlikely to make Robinson off-limits, especially in potential deals involving All-Star-caliber players.
