The Knicks’ offseason took a nasty turn fast, and now the front office has to solve a problem it didn’t expect to be staring at this soon.
Mitchell Robinson is headed to the Boston Celtics, a blow that hit on the first official day of 2026 NBA Free Agency. Not long before that, backup center Ariel Hukporti also found a new home, agreeing with the Philadelphia 76ers. With both bigs gone and the center pool thinning out, New York suddenly has a hole to fill and fewer options to fill it.
That’s where Kevon Looney comes in. The Knicks already have some level of mutual interest with the free agent center, according to several sources, and the fit is obvious enough to make sense on the surface: he played under Mike Brown during their shared time with the Golden State Warriors. SNY’s Ian Begley reported days ago that the connection to Brown is part of what has drawn the two sides together.
Looney also brings exactly the kind of championship résumé the Knicks seem to value. He won titles with the 2017, 2018, and 2022 Warriors, and Brown was their defensive coordinator under Steve Kerr.
That matters for a Knicks team that appears likely to lean heavily on players who know what winning at the highest level looks like. Jordan Clarkson’s situation is still unresolved, but the broader picture points toward a roster with plenty of recent championship experience.
There’s another layer to the appeal, too. New York may not have Stephen Curry, but Jalen Brunson just won Finals MVP while doing plenty of the same off-ball work that became a staple of Curry’s game in Golden State. In that sense, bringing in the big man who shared the floor with that Warriors core for three separate trips to The Finals starts to feel less like a luxury and more like a logical next step.
Still, Looney isn’t coming without questions.
Last season was his first outside the Warriors’ setup, and it came with real struggles in New Orleans. He posted a career-worst estimated plus-minus of -1.1, according to Dunks & Threes, along with a career-worst true shooting percentage. The Pelicans’ broader issues didn’t help, but Looney’s season was also interrupted by a knee injury that lingered all year.
Even so, the Knicks have already lived through a version of that challenge. Their medical staff spent the season working closely with Robinson on an injury management plan as his free agency approached, trying to squeeze the most value out of him. If Looney needs a similar approach, New York has shown it’s willing to do that work.
The minutes tell part of the story, too. Looney played just 14.7 minutes per game in 21 games last season, and New Orleans passed on his $8 million team option for the 2027 campaign. He’s 30, not washed, and still workable if the right team is willing to manage the load.
That’s the gamble here. The Knicks would be betting on a 6-foot-9 center with injury baggage and a rough last season, but they’re also in a position to protect him through the regular season if it helps in the playoffs.
They just won a championship by trusting a plan other people doubted. Losing Robinson was never part of the script, but if New York wants to steady the frontcourt, Looney is the name sitting right there.
In Other News...
Knicks May Have A New Way To Handle Mitchell Robinson
Robert Williams IIIs new contract with Portland could end up being more than a footnote for the Knicks. The three-year extension, worth $44 million and built with partial guarantees tied to availability, gives New York a possible template as it sorts through its own future with Mitchell Robinson, a similarly impactful center whose game comes with the same durability questions but, in the Knicks view, a better recent availability track record.
The salary-cap piece matters just as much as the player fit. New York has a little under $6 million of room beneath the second apron, and Robinson would cost more than that, which makes the structure of any new deal as important as the total number. One path being discussed would give the Knicks a cleaner, fully guaranteed three-year commitment, but the real appeal is finding a framework that protects the team while still keeping a rim protector in place for a roster that has leaned on him when healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Big Man Is Gone And Fans Have One Complaint
Ariel Hukportis departure adds another small but noticeable footnote to the Knicks offseason, especially for fans who had been tracking the teams depth behind the starters. After spending his first two NBA seasons in New York, the big man moved on once the Knicks decided not to tender him a qualifying offer, leaving him free to explore the market and putting his next step in motion.
The move also leaves behind one familiar complaint from the fan base, which has watched the center picture shift while the team continues sorting out its rotation. Hukportis new deal and landing spot now put the focus on what New York gets from the roster spot he vacated, and whether the Knicks are comfortable with how they handled letting a young big walk without a matching offer in place. [Read more 🡒]