The 2025-26 NBA season is only getting closer, and teams are starting to shape. Heading into the season, questions continue to linger in a new look New York Knicks team.
Although the core roster still looks the same, change is bound to happen under newly signed head coach Mike Brown.
The Knicks continue to face questions about the future of center Mitchell Robinson. The 27-year-old, eligible for a contract extension, could be on the verge of heading out of New York in the next year or so. Robinson's defensive impact has been limited by a career marked by injuries, leading to lingering questions about his future.
Could the Chicago Bulls pursue Mitchell Robinson?
Entering the final year of his four-year, $60 million deal with the Knicks, what will his next payday look like? Could it be with a new team?
Mitchell Robinson has been a pivotal defenseman for New York since entering the league in 2018, but his recent stints with injuries in the last few years have made him an unreliable role player with the team. Robinson's missed 139 combined regular-season games since 2022.
With this being said, trade rumors have been lingering involving the big man, and FanSided's Austin McGee believes the Chicago Bulls could be a fit for Robinson.
"New York will have to do some intense maneuvering of the salary cap, which will likely mean cutting ties with players such as Robinson, who's surely keen on earning more than the taxpayer midlevel exception," McGee wrote. "Although Robinson wouldn't be the splashy signing many Bulls fans are hoping for in the 2026 offseason, he'd be a savvy one. The 7-foot center is a walking double-double per-36 minutes; his injury history has just always curtailed his playing time. Still, the potential is there. Robinson represents a high-risk, high-reward signing and one that likely won’t come at an egregious price."
At 27 years old, Robinson is a younger veteran in the NBA. His defensive presence in the paint is something that Chicago hasn't seen in a long time, as he's averaged 1.8 blocks per game in his career.
Although there's a lot of time between now and when his contract with the Knicks expires next year, Mitchell Robinson could be someone the Bulls could be targeting as either a trade candidate or a 2026 free agency signing.