The Knicks may need to look outside the usual box if Mitchell Robinson walks, and Brook Lopez is one name that fits the problem. The ideal outcome is still Robinson back in New York, but James Dolan’s salary cap constraints could push the Knicks toward a different answer at center.
Lopez would become available only if the Los Angeles Clippers decide to pick up his team option. That would leave him owed $9.2 million. After a down season, the Clippers may prefer to move on and clear room, especially after adding younger talent such as Baba Miller last week.
At 7'1", Lopez wouldn’t have to carry the same load in New York that he handled with the Clippers. That matters, because a lighter workload could help preserve him the way the Knicks have managed Robinson.
Lopez appeared in 75 games last season, starting 40, and played 21.8 minutes per game. His numbers slipped across the board, including 0.6 offensive rebounds, 3.0 defensive rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks.
There is still a version of Lopez that looks much closer to his Milwaukee form. In the 2024-2025 season with the Bucks, he averaged 1.4 offensive rebounds, 3.6 defensive rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 steals.
Rest also seemed to matter. Lopez posted a -22.8 in 13 games with no days’ rest.
In 46 games with one day of rest, he had a 6.2 +/-. With two days of rest, that number jumped to 17.9 in 10 games.
The three-days-rest sample was small, just six games, but it came with a -12.4.
Even with the dip in his overall scoring efficiency, Lopez still stretched the floor. His field goal percentage fell from 50.9% with the Bucks to 42.8% with the Clippers, but he shot 36% from three on 4.2 attempts per game.
A sizable 13.6% of those attempts came from the corner, where he connected on 41.9%. Over his career, the defensive-minded big man has hit 35% from deep.
If the Knicks do lose Robinson, the ripple effect could reach the bench as well. Their second unit may have to rely more on younger players like Mohamed Diawara and the newly drafted Tyler Nickel. Lopez would not replace Robinson’s defense one-for-one, but he would give New York a veteran center and a different kind of presence inside the room.
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