Mitchell Robinson’s move to Boston caught plenty of people off guard, and it hit even harder for the Knicks’ locker room.
The Celtics landed Robinson on a three-year, $47.4 million deal after his role in helping New York win its first NBA Championship since 1972-73. With the Knicks worried about the second apron, the team moved on and brought in veteran Andre Drummond on a one-year contract.
Robinson, 28, has been part of the Knicks since they took him in the 2018 NBA Draft. He’s seen the franchise through rough stretches and a title run, which is why his departure landed with such a jolt. Boston now adds him to a frontcourt that includes Neemias Queta and others as the Celtics try to chase another championship.
The teams won’t wait long to see each other again. Boston hosts New York on October 23 in the second game of the season, and Robinson will come back to Madison Square Garden on March 14. That reunion already had a certain weight to it at media day.
His former teammates didn’t hide how they felt about the change, but they also pointed to Drummond as the next man up.
"It's definitely tough. I’m happy for him.
Obviously, it’s another opportunity to get paid as well. It’s definitely difficult, but you love to see someone advance their generational wealth... just getting Andre, we're excited.
I think he can be a big key to this team," Jalen Brunson said.
"I think we're just going to miss Mitch. That's our guy, one of my good friends.
We all love Mitch. We're going to miss him, but bringing in Drum helps," Mikal Bridges said.
"I was very surprised that Mitch wasn't going to be back here with us. I think all of us were, so it was a surprise to everybody. Thought something would get done there, but like you said, we have Andre," Karl-Anthony Towns said.
"Everyone's sad to see him go, but that's how it goes in the NBA. Andre's a great player, played against him for years now. We know he can help us a lot," OG Anunoby said.
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Brown was traded away from Boston in the offseason after a strong previous season, and the switch to a new contender only raises the stakes for what comes next. James has also gone out of his way to defend Brown before, calling him misunderstood on his podcast, so the Celtics are left watching a familiar kind of warning sign: a star who feels overlooked, lands in a new spot, and may be ready to make that decision look costly. [Read more 🡒]