The Celtics have taken a key contributor away from the defending NBA champions.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Boston has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million contract with free-agent center Mitchell Robinson. The deal reportedly includes a player option for the third season.
Robinson played an important role in the Knicks’ championship run this past season, providing elite rebounding and rim protection off the bench.
Boston is expected to use its full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing, according to salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan. That move will hard-cap the Celtics at the NBA’s first tax apron, per Yossi Gozlan of The First Apron.
The Knicks had the ability to offer Robinson a comparable contract, but doing so would have pushed New York into the restrictive second tax apron, according to multiple reports.
Robinson, 28, averaged 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 60 regular-season games while serving as one of the league’s top reserve centers. His interior defense and rebounding proved especially valuable throughout New York’s postseason run.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks still have “a ton of appreciation and respect” for Robinson, with the organization viewing his departure as a financial casualty rather than a basketball decision.
The move gives Boston another experienced defensive presence in the frontcourt while handing one of its biggest Eastern Conference rivals a significant offseason loss.
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