Back on Dec. 8, when Mitchell Robinson had to come out of the game against Boston because of an injured ankle, both he and coach Tom Thibodeau said this wasn’t serious, with Robinson adding, “It’s nothing crazy.” Then, it was announced he would need surgery and would be re-evaluated in a couple of months (likely around the All-Star break).
Now comes word the Knicks have applied for the Disabled Player Exception, meaning he is expected to miss the rest of the season. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news.
The New York Knicks have applied to the NBA for a Disabled Player Exception worth $7.8 million as the franchise projects center Mitchell Robinson will miss the rest of the season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Major development as Robinson had ankle surgery last week. pic.twitter.com/8EvjWfI9qA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 21, 2023
NBA league doctors — not the Knicks team physician — would have to determine that Robinson is done for the season to grant the Disabled Player Exception (DPE). Teams only tend to apply for this when they are sure a player will not return (it is technically possible for them to return still, but it’s very rare).
While the $7.8 million would give the Knicks some flexibility to add a big man to replace Robinson on the roster, it’s not as much as it seems. At $7.8 million, the DPE is half of what Robinson is making this year. Moreover, the Knicks are hard-capped by the Donte DiVincenzo signing and can only spend about $10 million more in total. While the Knicks can undoubtedly get another big man for their money, they will not find one as impactful as Robinson.
Robinson was the anchor of the Knicks’ defense, which was top 10 in the league before his injury but has slipped the past couple of weeks. Robinson is a plus defender and a quality rim protector, plus he’s averaged 5.3 offensive rebounds a game this season and was impacting winning on that end of the court.
Thibodeau started Jericho Sims at center with Mitchell out to keep a bench rotation he liked untouched. However, Sims sprained his ankle against the Lakers Monday and will miss time, meaning a lot falls on the shoulders of Isaiah Hartenstein now.
