The Knicks’ latest move with Liam Robbins doesn’t close the door on him, but it does make the path a lot less direct.
New York signed the 27-year-old center to an Exhibit 10 deal during its recent flurry of additions, a move that had plenty of people looking at Robbins as a possible preseason candidate for a two-way spot. That idea took a hit on Wednesday, when the Knicks waived him.
In practical terms, that usually means one thing: G League rights. Exhibit 10 contracts are often used exactly that way, with a player signed, then waived, so the team can keep him attached to its affiliate.
That still leaves room for Robbins to return to the Knicks in another form. He could land a two-way contract or even a standard deal in the coming weeks. But the waiver also suggests New York may want a little more development before treating him like a real NBA roster option.
The attraction is easy enough to understand. The Knicks need size, and they need it badly.
At 7-foot and 250 pounds, Robbins fits the most basic requirement in a way few players can. After Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, the next-tallest Knick is Mo Diawara.
That’s not exactly the setup you want if you’re trying to defend a title.
Robbins is also the kind of player who comes with more projection than polish. That’s hardly surprising for someone with just 57 career minutes and two recent G League seasons with the Wisconsin Herd and Rip City Remix. Still, there are reasons New York is interested.
He was SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, and he gives the Knicks legitimate bulk at center, something that matters with Towns likely to miss games and almost certain to deal with foul trouble at times. It is a little unusual to be betting on a 27-year-old with this little experience, but Robbins still has some tread left compared with the average pro at that age.
There’s also the shooting question. Robbins flashed some range in college, especially at Vanderbilt, but whether New York actually wants him launching from deep is another matter entirely.
Isaiah Hartenstein once arrived in New York after making 14-of-30 from three for the Clippers, only to shoot 8-of-37 in his first Knicks season and end the experiment there. Towns and Drummond already give the Knicks spacing from the frontcourt.
The real question is whether Mike Brown would want that same skill from a third-string center.
The Robbins move also fits into a bigger pattern around New York’s roster math. There’s been talk that the signings of John Konchar and Drew Eubanks could signal a possible trade involving a bench guard to create room for another big. Eubanks’ non-guaranteed deal says plenty on its own: the Knicks do not have an obvious answer sitting out there right now, because if they did and could afford him, they would have made that move already.
So the strategy becomes simple. When the ideal option is unavailable, stack up bodies and hope one of them sticks. In this case, that means a 7-foot, 250-pound center with some upside and a whole lot to prove.
Robbins also wouldn’t have accepted a quick sign-and-waive if another team had a better offer on the table. For a Knicks team pushed hard against the second apron, that kind of flexibility matters.
It also fits the way New York handled depth last season. The Knicks went into the year without a traditional backup point guard to take some of the pressure off Jalen Brunson, and they didn’t add Jose Alvarado until February. Putting Robbins on standby with the G League gives them another development piece now, while also making it easier to move on from an end-of-bench player later if a better option shows up.
Ariel Hukporti showed last season how that kind of third-center role can matter. He wasn’t close to one of the Knicks’ most important players, but he still started two of the first three games when the team was short-handed.
He also filled in when needed in December, January and April. And in Game 5 in San Antonio, he barely played two minutes before making a key blocked shot in the title-clinching comeback.
If Robbins can give New York anything close to that kind of value, the Knicks will be thrilled. For now, though, he’s heading toward a fight for that opportunity.
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