Mitchell Robinson has alluded to undisclosed circumstances influencing his departure from the New York Knicks to join the Boston Celtics, a move that has generated league-wide discussion. His comments suggest that factors beyond public knowledge played a role in the free agency decision.
In response to a social media post from former teammate OG Anunoby, who reacted with a "cold sweat emoji" to news of Robinson joining Boston, Robinson stated, "I tried brother I didn’t want this to happen. Hopefully the truth comes out at some point." The nature of the "truth" he hopes will emerge remains unclear.
Robinson's exit comes after a period where the Knicks reportedly explored retaining him, but faced significant financial constraints. Knicks owner James Dolan previously articulated his team's reluctance to exceed the NBA's second salary cap apron, a threshold around $222 million. "There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron," Dolan said in an appearance on WFAN’s “The Carton Show.” He added, "I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron."
The second apron imposes substantial penalties, including increased luxury taxes and trade limitations. As of recent reports, the Knicks had at least $211 million committed to their 2026-27 roster. With other signings, such as Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, and Mohamed Diawara, the team had limited financial flexibility to offer Robinson a competitive contract.
Robinson ultimately agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Celtics, set to pay him $15.8 million for the 2026-27 season. The Knicks could have matched this offer, but doing so would have placed them over the second apron, a move Dolan indicated the team would avoid.
Robinson, who was drafted by the Knicks in 2018 and played eight seasons with the franchise, bid farewell to Anunoby on Instagram, saying, "I’m gonna miss you, big dawg. Keep doing great things."