Mock Draft Sees Knicks Land Mitchell Robinson Replacement

The New York Knicks will enter the 2026 offseason with some questions surrounding their big man rotation.

Mitchell Robinson is heading into unrestricted free agency, and there’s always the possibility of Karl-Anthony Towns being linked in trade rumors.

With that in mind, New York may look toward the NBA Draft as a way of adding some cost-controlled depth at the center position. In Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, which was released on March 28, the Knicks did just that.

Zach Buckley projected that New York will acquire Motiejus Krivas with the 26th pick. Krivas, a 7-foot-2 center out of Arizona, has shown considerable growth throughout his third year in the Big 12.

“Krivas is big, long and all kinds of disruptive on the defensive interior. He’s also reliable on the interior on offense, active on the glass and capable from the free-throw line,” Buckley wrote. “The ‘Bockers may not look like obvious big man-shoppers at the moment, but that could change quickly this summer.”

Buckley continued.

“An early exit could get Karl-Anthony Towns scapegoated onto the trade market, or the front office might decide Mitchell Robinson’s free agency will be too expensive for a part-time player with full-time availability concerns.”

Krivas has played in 38 games for the Wildcats, averaging 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

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Knicks Could Lose Mitchell Robinson

Part of the reason why the Knicks have been mocked to take a young big man is due to Robinson’s impending unrestricted free agency. Robinson, 27, has put together a strong season in New York. As such, he could potentially field offers from other teams around the NBA.

The rim-running big man has suited up for 55 regular-season games so far, starting 15 of them. The 7-foot center is averaging 5.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

Mike Brown won’t want to lose the rim protection and paint deterrence that Robinson brings to the floor. However, if the eight-year veteran does decide to call it quits on his time in New York, the Knicks will need to find a cost-effective replacement to fill his void on the bench.

Krivas would certainly need some time to adjust to the NBA. However, he would bring a lot of the same skills that Robinson does. Furthermore, he would be under a cost-controlled deal.

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Robinson Has Recently Questioned Knicks’ Approach

Mitchell Robinson has been part of the Knicks’ rotation since being drafted in 2018. He’s been present for the team’s rise back to contender status, and has played a sizeable role throughout the years.

However, recently, Robinson has aired his frustrations with how New York has been approaching some of its games.

Following the Knicks’ loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, March 26, Robinson questioned the team’s approach in the comments section of a “Knicks Fans TV” post on Instagram.

“Don’t even matter unless we change our approach. We ain’t doing [expletive] special — keep that [expletive] up, myself included,” Robinson wrote.

That was the second time Robinson had aired his frustrations in less than a week. The first time came following the Knicks’ narrow win over the Brooklyn Nets on March 20.

“We can’t just look at their record and just say, ‘Alright, we’re gonna whip their ass,’” Robinson said, via New York Daily News. “We’ve just gotta be better altogether.”

If Robinson is genuinely growing unhappy in New York, the front office would be wise to do its due diligence on a young talent like Krivas. Of course, keeping Robinson around should still be the primary objective.

Adam Taylor is a basketball reporter covering the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Miami Heat for Heavy. He holds bylines for CelticsBlog, USA Today and Yardbarker. Adam also covers the WWE and AEW. He has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Open University. More about Adam Taylor