Could Mitch be on the verge of joining Luka & LBJ in Hollywood?
All of a sudden, and after receiving a completely unexpected call from the most incompetent team president across the Association, the Lakers have entered a race against the clock with a deadline set on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
Los Angeles landed Luka Dondic in the biggest trade in NBA history but that came with the forced departure of big man Anthony Davis, leaving the Lakers’ paint depleted and currently boasting just one player, Jaxson Hayes, under a standard contract and thrust in the starting lineup at the five.
In other words, the Lakers are hunting for centers, and they have set their eyes on injured New York Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson, among others, according to Kevin O’Connor.
“League sources say the Lakers are looking for a big man and Mitchell Robinson from the New York Knicks is one of the bigs they are targeting. That’s what I’m hearing in the aftermath so far, after that absolutely nuts Lakers-Mavericks-Jazz trade that happened in the wee hours on Saturday into Sunday.” — Kevin O’Connor
Hours before O’Connor’s report and the Lakers-Mavs trade, ahead of the game between the Knicks and Los Angeles on Saturday, coach Tom Thibodeau provided one of the most promising updates on Robinson we’ve heard in a good time.
Thibs said (h/t SNY’s Ian Begley) that Mitch is “pretty close” to getting cleared for full practices, first under controlled contact, and then on full-contact reps as soon as he progresses and is fit enough for that.
Tom Thibodeau said Mitchell Robinson is ‘pretty close’ to getting cleared for full contact/full practice. That’s the next step in his rehab/return to the court.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 1, 2025
Our own Kento Kato wrote about Robinson’s update and the Luka trade’s aftermath yesterday, touching on how it might impact the Knicks now that the Lakers find themselves without a bonafide starting center—pretty much sharing needs with a New York squad lacking depth and a physical, defensive player to deploy in the paint.
At the time of his writing, KOC had yet to drop the report on the Lakers targeting Robinson, but Kato already hinted at the possibility of Los Angeles attempting to trade for the Knicks big man.
“Lastly, does this open up a lane for the Lakers to go after Robinson? It seems unlikely since Robinson, as stated earlier, can’t seem to stay on the court. But if the Lakers were to maybe go get multiple centers and take a chance on Robinson, that could end up being a very good team.
“What the Knicks get in return and what, if any other, teams could be involved remains to be seen. But this is a reminder that even if your team isn’t directly involved in a trade, there can be real implications for your team. Be it future trade market, draft positioning, free agency, trajectory of teams in your conference, or, in this case, competition at the trade deadline, there is often a domino effect.” — Kento Kato
As Kato explained, it’s hard to envision a two-team trade happening between the Knicks and the Lakers involving Robinson.
For one, Robinson’s salary ($14.3 million) doesn’t match many of the Lakers’ players’ wages this season, making it hard to find a proper deal on a pure player-for-player(s) basis.
For two, the Lakers aren’t going to be interested in trading most of the players that fit in terms of salary matching, including Dorian Finney-Smith (recently acquired) and Austin Reaves.
Finally, would the Knicks’ front office be interested in bagging one or two or whatever amount of picks the Lakers might send them in return from Mitch? I find that hard to believe.
There are options, mind you, such as Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7 million), a combination of Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent, Shake Milton, and even Hayes, but again, will the Knicks benefit from gambling on such a package working instead of Robinson staying in tow and (hopefully) healthy?
At the end of the day, the Lakers could very well and realistically be interested in Robinson—don’t undervalue this man’s talents, who are simply and without exaggeration unique in the NBA when focusing exclusively on what he does best on the court—but that doesn’t mean New York will pull a Mavs.
Following Sunday’s events, it’s fair to say that you never know what might happen next, let alone when it comes to the Lakers. A Mitch-to-LA trade, nonetheless, is something that I wouldn’t bet my house on happening between now and Thursday’s deadline.