Earlier this summer, the New York Knicks made the difficult decision to allow Mitchell Robinson to leave in free agency.
James Dolan had been clear on his remit that the Knicks stay outside of the second luxury tax apron. Mitchell ultimately signed a three-year $47.3 million deal with the Boston Celtics. New York then pivoted by signing Andre Drummond on a one-year minimum deal.
When speaking with Spotrac’s Keith Smith at Las Vegas Summer League, a member of the Knicks front office shared their thoughts on Robinson’s departure.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” the executive said. “You want to keep everyone, especially after you accomplish what we did together. But you just can’t. We’re excited to have Andre (Drummond) in the mix now. He’s as good of a backup center as there is in the league. We’ll miss Mitch for sure, but all you can do is keep moving forward.”
Robinson had spent eight seasons in New York, having been drafted by the franchise with the 36th pick in the 2018 NBA draft. During his tenure with the Knicks, Robinson averaged 7.5 points and 8 rebounds per game over 397 regular-season appearances.
Knicks Praised For Andre Drummond Addition
When grading all the moves of the offseason, ESPN’s Zach Kram gave the Knicks a B+ for their pivot toward Drummond.
“Stylistically, the Knicks couldn’t have found a better replacement for Mitchell Robinson,” Kram wrote. “He and Drummond are massive centers, indefatigable rebounders and poor free-throw shooters.”
Kram continued.
“Robinson is the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, but so too was Drummond, once upon a time. He led the league in offensive boards per game from 2013-14 through 2019-20, and his per-36 numbers remain similar to this day. When Drummond enters games, he’ll give the Knicks this same offensive advantage that Robinson did.”
Drummond will fill the rebounding void Robinson’s departure had created. However, New York will need to adjust to Drummond’s slower style of play, especially in terms of operating in transition.
Drummond Has No Regrets Over Joining Knicks
Shortly after Drummond opted to move to New York, where he joins te reigning NBA champions, the Philadelphia 76ers constructed a superteam. Nick Nurse’s team now boasts Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid as their starting five.
Despite the Sixers’ sudden emergence as a force in the Eastern Conference, Drummond is at peace with his choice. The veteran big man took to social media following LeBron’s addition to Philadelphia’s roster to reiterate his happiness over his latest move.
“I’m good where I’m at,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter, on July 24.
While the Sixers undoubtedly have one of the strongest rosters in the NBA, the lack of roster continuity means there’s no guarantee things will work out for them this season. It may take a year before we see the Sixers at their best.
The Knicks, on the other hand, are bringing back most of their championship core and will be among the favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of next season.
As such, it’s easy to see why Drummond is pleased with landing in New York: he gets a legitimate opportunity to contend for a championship.
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