Insider Updates Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Return Timeline

The New York Knicks have a new center in Karl-Anthony Towns, and there are a number of reasons as to why the team pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade.

One of the hidden reasons behind the deal may have been the status of Mitchell Robinson, who isn’t expected to be ready for action until at least December or January, but ESPN insider Brian Windhorst says that he may be out for longer.

“The Knicks’ problems started at center, specifically their lack of a starting one. New York has built a wall around the extent of starter Mitchell Robinson’s foot problems — the Leon Rose administration is good at keeping secrets, which helped the Knicks not lose leverage in these very trade talks,” Windhorst writes. “But internally, New York is planning for Robinson to be out at least three more months. Will it be more? Hopefully not, but no one knows for sure. Isaiah Hartenstein, who served as Robinson’s backup the past two seasons and started 49 games in his absence last season, departed in free agency, leaving New York dangerously thin — and short — up front.”

Robinson, 26, has spent more time on the sidelines than the court as of late. The seventh-year center missed 23 games in 2022-23 and was out for 51 games last season. He returned just before the playoffs, but he re-injured his ankle in the postseason against the Philadelphia 76ers and needed to have surgery again.

The Knicks value Robinson and see him as a key piece to the team, which is why they don’t want him to come back until he is 100 percent healthy. Adding Towns allows Robinson to fully heal from his injury without any pressure to return sooner than he needs to.

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