{"id":203282,"date":"2026-07-01T14:44:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=203282"},"modified":"2026-07-01T14:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:45:21","slug":"celtics-steal-7-footer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/01\/celtics-steal-7-footer\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does the Celtics Stealing 7-Footer from the Knicks Mean for Both Squads as Free Agency Kicks into High Gear"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/robinmi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitchell Robinson<\/a> has found a new home.<\/p>\n<h2>What Does the Celtics Stealing Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks Mean for Both Squads as Free Agency Kicks into High Gear<\/h2>\n<p>While it is not a surprise that Robinson is leaving the New York Knicks, it is a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/01\/mitchell-robinson\/\" target=\"_self\">shocker that he is headed<\/a> to the Boston Celtics. Not that the Celtics didn&#8217;t need a center, but Boston was never mentioned as a potential suitor.<\/p>\n<p>According to ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania, Robinson will get a three-year deal worth$47.4 million. Charania said the third year is a player option.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, with a player option in third season, sources tell ESPN. Robinson departs the Knicks after serving a key role on the historic championship team. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tl3R6nlU1m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/tl3R6nlU1m<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ShamsCharania\/status\/2072341817060724877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Robinson, who had been with the Knicks since being selected with the No.36 pick in 2018, was a key part of bringing a World Championship to the Big Apple for the first time in 53 years. The 27-year-old has been productive throughout his career, but injuries have been a huge concern as he has only appeared in 372 games over eight seasons.<\/p>\n<p>Robinson is coming off a season where he finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. The 7-footer averaged 5.7 points on 72.3% shooting, 8.8 rebounds (4.2 offensive), and 1.2 blocks. He produced six double-doubles and scored in double figures 10 times while grabbing at least 10 rebounds 25 times.<\/p>\n<p>While New York would likely have liked to retain Robinson, the Knicks couldn&#8217;t afford him and stay out of the second apron, as James Dolan wanted. The Knicks have 11 players under contract with a salary cap hit of about $212 million. Thus leaving the Knicks around $9 million below the second apron.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From a Knick perspective, club has a ton of appreciation &amp; respect for Mitchell Robinson as he departs for Boston, per source familiar with matter. Robinson&#8217;s exit is seen a casualty of the situation re: NYK holding team salary under 2nd apron. Robinson, a 2nd-round pick eight\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Begley (@IanBegley) <a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IanBegley\/status\/2072345605054079471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/26\/knicks-needs-post-draft\/\" target=\"_self\">New York will need<\/a> to prioritize the frontcourt in free agency. But given the owners&#8217; directive, the Knicks will have an average of $3 million per player they sign. The Knicks could have some flexibility in that number if they opt to give at least one of their two <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/18\/knicks-need-2026-draft\/\" target=\"_self\">2026 second-round draft picks<\/a> to a standard contract: <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kayilja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jack Kayil<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/nickety01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Nickel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"b0c95bc04383cef69c6b47df872135cf\" image-id=\"WmOBPretXRY2\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 3423px; aspect-ratio: 3423\/2282;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0What Does Robinson Heading to Boston Mean For The Celtics?<\/h3>\n<p>Boston was one of the biggest surprises this past season, finishing third in the East with 56 victories despite being without star<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tatumja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Jayson Tatum<\/a> for more than three-fourths of the season. But the Celtics were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers, in part because they had no answers for<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/embiijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Joel Embiid<\/a> in the four games he played.<\/p>\n<p>Embiid posted three double-doubles and averaged 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. The Celtics lost three of the four games that he played in as the C&#8217;s centers were dominated by the Sixers&#8217; big men in the final three contests of the series.<\/p>\n<p>So, in the end, Robinson is a perfect fit for the Celtics. Robinson is a true rim protector and an offensive\u2011rebounding machine that they needed. Robinson, who has career averages of 3.7 offensive rebounds and 1.7 blocks, ranked second in offensive boards in 2025-26 with 4.2 a contest.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Robinson&#8217;s job will be simple yet dirty. Robinson will be tasked with setting solid screens, diving to the rim, cleaning the glass, and protecting the rim. Robinson and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/q\/quetane01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Neemais Queta<\/a> are set to share the minutes at center, though Queta will likely start. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garzalu01\/gamelog-advanced\/2026\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Garza<\/a> will get spot minutes, though with Robinson&#8217;s injury history, his minutes shouldn&#8217;t decline too much.<\/p>\n<p>Boston&#8217;s 2025-26 roster appears almost set after drafting <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/chris-cenac-jr-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Cernac Jr.<\/a> with the No. 27 pick in last month&#8217;s draft and extending<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harpero02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Ron Harper Jr.<\/a> The Celtics also signed veteran point guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/conlemi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Conley<\/a> to a one-year, veteran minimum deal earlier today. Those moves give the C&#8217;s 15 players, though they<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/06\/celtics-star-tandem\/\" target=\"_self\"> appear determined to trade Jaylen Brown<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span>Photo Credit: Winslow Townson, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mitchell Robinson has found a new home. What Does the Celtics Stealing Mitchell Robinson from the Knicks Mean for Both Squads as Free Agency Kicks into High Gear While it is not a surprise that Robinson is leaving the New York Knicks, it is a shocker that he is headed to the Boston Celtics. Not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3146,"featured_media":203374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,5,2,62,12,3,13],"tags":[450,798,267,3041,208,1616,297],"class_list":["post-203282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-featured","category-nba","category-knicks","category-news","category-76ers","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-joel-embiid","tag-luka-garza","tag-mike-conley","tag-mitchell-robinson","tag-nba-free-agency"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203282"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203375,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203282\/revisions\/203375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}