The Boston Celtics are finally making moves in free agency, and they have managed to snag a key piece from the New York Knicks. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Celtics have landed Mitchell Robinson on a three-year deal.
“Free agent center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, with a player option in third season, sources tell ESPN. Robinson departs the Knicks after serving a key role on the historic championship team.”
Robinson was expected to be one of the players the champion Knicks would lose this summer after team owner James Dolan declared they wouldn’t be a second apron team. Their loss is the Celtics’ gain.
Robinson averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 2025-26. The 28-year-old was probably the best unrestricted free agent center on the market, and the Celtics used their non-taxpayer midlevel exception to bring him in.
As for what the Celtics are getting here, Robinson is an exceptional offensive rebounder and a pretty good defender. They probably recognized they needed a player like him after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.
The Celtics had no answer for Joel Embiid as the 76ers stormed back from down 3-1, and it was clear that frontcourt additions were needed this offseason. You didn’t expect them to land Robinson, though. It’s a bit of a surprise he agreed to go there, as the Knicks and Celtics are rivals. He had spent the first eight seasons of his career in New York, and might get a frosty reception in his first game back at MSG.
Someone who won’t be getting a frosty reception anywhere is Mike Conley Jr., and Charania reports the Celtics have landed him on a one-year deal as well.
“Free agent guard Mike Conley Jr. has agreed to a one-year deal to sign with the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN. Conley becomes only the 14th player in NBA history to reach 20 seasons.”
Conley spent the last three and a half seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 38-year-old transitioned to a bench role in 2025-26 and averaged 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
Charania also added that a handful of teams were interested in Conley. That’s not a surprise despite the drop in the 38-year-old’s production, as he is a beloved veteran in the NBA and a great presence in the locker room.
It will be interesting to see how much Conley plays for the Celtics next season. What will also be interesting to see is whether Jaylen Brown will still be on this team at the start of next season. Rumors keep flying around regarding Brown, and his time in Boston might be coming to an end soon.
