The Knicks keep watching center options disappear, and that latest miss may actually point them back toward a familiar name.
Nick Richards was the last real free-agent big man worth a guaranteed deal, and now that he’s off the board, New York’s path at center looks even thinner. A trade has been tough for Leon Rose to pull off all summer, which leaves veteran tryouts and two-way contracts as the most realistic ways to build out depth behind the main rotation.
That shrinking market only helps Liam Robbins.
The Summer League standout is starting to look like one of the cleaner answers left for the Knicks, especially with no higher-end third center showing up to squeeze him out. The only thing that seemed likely to block Robbins was another more established option landing in New York, but that hasn’t happened.
A deal with the Hornets for Moussa Diabate or Ryan Kalkbrenner looks unlikely to start the year, and the Pelicans’ Yves Missi and Karlo Matković also don’t appear to be in play. The Knicks’ earlier target, Moussa Cissé, never got away from Dallas after the Mavericks matched the offer.
So Robbins has a lane, and it may be wider than it first looked.
He could compete for the third-string center job on the main roster, not just settle for a two-way spot. There are still veteran names floating around free agency - Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo and Dwight Powell among them - but none of them is so clearly ahead of the field that New York can hand over the job without a fight. If the Knicks bring in another big, he’ll have to win it in camp.
Robbins has already made his case for another look. He played 13 games for the Bucks in 2024-25, and at 7 feet he’s still chasing his first full NBA season. In Las Vegas, he said the right things when he talked to Cassidy Hubbarth:
"I'm someone who can come in, give good energy, play D and play The Knick Way…championship effort" -- Center prospect Liam Robbins to @CassidyHubbarth as Knicks get 1st summer W:15 points6-13 FG1 three5 boards3 offensive3 assists2 steals4 blocks pic.twitter.com/yWSGuLmX84
The on-court production backed that up. Robbins scored at least 13 points in each of New York’s last three Summer League games, and he flashed real force on the defensive end too, including two games with four blocks and a nine-rebound effort against the Warriors.
What happens next depends on how the Knicks want to handle the roster spot. The simplest move would be to use one of their three open two-way slots, which would keep Robbins in the organization and give him time to develop between the G League and the NBA. That would also take him off the market.
The other route is a non-guaranteed tryout deal, which would give the Knicks flexibility if a better center option pops up later. The risk there is obvious: another team could step in and make Robbins a better offer.
Either way, New York has enough reason to keep him in the mix. The free-agent pool is getting bare, the older names available don’t carry the same appeal they once did, and Robbins brings something the Knicks still need to sort through - upside. At this point, that alone makes him worth another hard look.
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