Knicks reportedly unlikely to retain Mitchell Robinson

Turns out, the Knicks' attempts to stay under the second apron may not allow them to retain one of their most valuable bench contributors from this year's championship roster.

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Mitchell Robinson is unlikely to return to the team next season, as the unrestricted free agent will command a salary that would put the Knicks over that second apron, a landmark that has suddenly become an avoid-at-all-costs effort from James Dolan.

Robinson, the longest tenured Knick, has been in Gotham since the dark days, a former second-round pick who emerged as one of the best offensive rebounders in the sport. Head coach Mike Brown's load management plan, which consisted of resting Robinson one game in back-to-backs throughout the regular season, kept him healthy throughout the postseason, until he mysteriously suffered a broken pinky just before the NBA Finals. Robinson played through it, and while he wasn't as impactful as usual, he did snag one of the most memorable offensive rebounds in franchise history, snagging a missed OG Anunoby free throw in the closing seconds of a clinching game five, helping the Knicks pull out the tight victory to secure the team's first championship in 53 years.

Shortly after that clinching game five, Dolan joined The Carton Show and declared that the Knicks would not go over the second apron, a declaration that surprised many given the seeming impossibility of accomplishing that goal if Robinson and Landry Shamet were brought back. Now, it looks like they could lose both, despite the team's clear motivation to trade further and further back in this week's draft to avoid guaranteed contracts and free up money.

Ariel Hukporti could become vital to the team's frontcourt depth if Robinson departs, though it will be tough to replicate what Robinson brings to the offensive glass and generating second-chance points. Robinson averaged 4.2 offensive rebounds per game this season while averaging 19.6 minutes.

The news from Bondy is sure to make the second apron conversation even more prominent, especially when paired with the report coming from the Katz and Shoot podcast, where Knicks beat reporter James Edwards III and former Knicks beat reporter Fred Katz both echoed the same sentiment, which is that Dolan's second apron comments on WFAN took the front office by surprise, and team executives were under the impression that the second apron would not be the hard deadline that it has seemingly become.