The New York Knicks will soon have a big decision to make regarding the fate of starting center Mitchell Robinson. Robinson will become an unrestricted free agent after next season if he isn't signed to a contract extension before then.
However, assessing his value could be tricky considering that he is often injured. That leads to an interesting tidbit by The Athletic's James E. Edwards, who covers the Knicks.
He mentions that the Knicks could be willing to extend him, but only on a team-friendly deal with protections for injury.
The New York Knicks must play it safe with Mitchell Robinson
In that scenario, there would likely be incentives placed on games played with a significant part of a salary tied up in his health. I.e., $1 million per season being tied to how often he plays.
Say, for example, he were to sign a four-year, $84 million extension and fail to stay healthy in each of those seasons, he would lose $4 million. They could get even more concessions by offering him a three-year extension. Or even a four-year deal with the fourth year being partially guaranteed until he reaches a games-played threshold.
That would allow the Knicks to hold onto him but not be handcuffed to him if he can't stay healthy beyond next season.
Injury risk aside, he is still extremely valuable to the Knicks as a defensive presence and terrific rebounder. Especially with them having Karl-Anthony Towns, who struggles defensively when a center isn't playing alongside him.
The Knicks need Robinson, but he may also need the Knicks
That fact alone could give him leverage in extension talks and make it harder for the two sides to come to an agreement. Still, there is pressure on Robinson not to miss much time next season.
Injury-prone big men probably aren't going to spark a bidding war, but it only takes one team. Meanwhile, Robinson is uniquely relied upon by the Knicks, given he's their closest thing to a defensive stopper.
He might not be a full-time starter for the Knicks, but they were better with him starting. Actually, his rebounding alone helped keep New York from getting completely worked by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
The Knicks have a clear path to keeping Mitchell Robinson
Him playing with and behind Towns or starting alongside him—it doesn't matter—they still need him. Price is key, though. The current rate for a starting center is around $20 million annually.
That would be a reasonable starting point and keep him under contract without hurting New York's cap forward.
All told, the Nets can't afford to let Robinson hit free agency without either extending him beforehand or trading him prior to the deadline. Assuming he can stay healthy, then New York should feel confident that he can live up to a potential extension, but that's a big question mark.