Mar 26, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) is restrained by center Mitchell Robinson (23) in the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Center Considered Too Valuable for Trade Talks

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Feb 5, 2026 4:00 PM ET

No two members of the New York Knicks have dominated trade rumors quite like their two biggest players.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson have spent this season quietly asserting themselves as one of the NBA's best center combinations, and they've each done good work to bolster their respective reputations since 2025 turned to 2026.

While Towns has spent the majority of the season embroiled in concerns over his focus and scoring efficiency, he's given the Knicks all he's got as a team-first contributor over their eight-game win streak. The usually-brittle Robinson's shrugged off previous attendance concerns with an unusually-durable season of rebounding and defense.

At Towns' most unpopular, he was the most popular trade bait for fans looking to land another franchise star, with his hefty contract making his uncomfortably-loud slumps that much tougher to bear for the supposed contenders. Robinson, meanwhile, has been one of New York's most necessary hustlers all season long, but considering the relatively-cheap and expiring deal he's playing on, an easier hypothetical swap remained tantalizing for short-term gain entering that late-January boon.

New York Knicks Center Karl-Anthony Towns Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Surviving to the Near-Future

At long last for he and anyone else deemed even semi-expendable, the deadline has mercifully passed. Hours before then, though, SNY's Ian Begley reassured fans that Robinson was too valuable to be considered as a potential moving piece, with the insider hearing that no one values the longtime big more than the team that originally drafted him.

"As one team put it to me a couple days ago, [the Knicks] value [Robinson] more than anyone else in the league based on what he does for the when he's healthy," Begley said. "Because of that, and because of the signals that some Knick people have given out to other teams, I assume they're gonna do what they can to re-sign him."

One NBA team told @IanBegley that the Knicks value Mitchell Robinson more than any other team in the league:

"Because of that, I assume they're going to do what they can to re-sign him - do what they *have to do* to re-sign him" pic.twitter.com/fKw4o7uH9p
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 5, 2026

An extension would be huge for Robinson, who's playing on the team's most glaring expiring deal. He's making under $13 million as arguably the best offensive rebounder in the sport, as well as a switchable defensive gem who's proven critical over the win streak. And as a proven big-game player, he'll prove necessary during the Knicks' upcoming playoff push.

He, as well as other familiar trade chips in Towns and Miles McBride, are safe for the time being. But if what Begley's hearing is reliable, a lot more could be waiting for Robinson from the front office outside of inter-season glory.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: