The Sacramento Kings needed lottery luck to accelerate their rebuild. After falling to seventh overall, it appears that NBA free agency may now play a role in the Kings' front office retooling the roster.
The New York Post's Stephen Bondy spoke with sources around the league who described the Kings as a threat to poach center Mitchell Robinson away from the New York Knicks.
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Robinson, age 28, was drafted by the Knicks with the 36th overall selection in the 2018 NBA draft. This occurred when Kings general manager Scott Perry held the same title with New York. The 7-foot center immediately earned All-Rookie Second Team honors in his first season, and he has been a key bench player for the team for the past three years.
After eight seasons in New York, Robinson is looking for a better opportunity elsewhere. He has started just 19 games over the past two seasons and has not averaged more than 20 minutes per contest since the 2023–24 campaign. Coming off a season where he made $12.954 million, he may also be looking for a better salary.
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However, Sacramento will need to reduce payroll before going after Robinson. Zach LaVine ($48.967 million) and Domantas Sabonis ($45.472 million) are making more than $90 million combined next season, and that doesn't even include the more than $45 million owed to De'Andre Hunter ($24.91 million) and Malik Monk ($20.19 million). Sacramento may also have to move on from DeMar DeRozan, paying him $10 million before his $25.74 million salary for next season becomes fully guaranteed.
If Perry is able to move Sabonis this summer then Robinson is an interesting short-term fit for Sacramento. However, given that the franchise is still in a multi-year rebuild, owner Vivek Ranadive will likely prioritize ways to save money this off-season.
