Knicks are not expected to bring back two notable players from their title team

The New York Knicks may now be coming back to reality after their NBA championship victory.

New York is not expected to bring back center Mitchell Robinson or guard Landry Shamet this offseason, Shams Charania of ESPN reported this week. Charania noted that the Knicks are trying to stay under the second apron of the luxury tax, which would effectively spell the end for both of those players in New York.

The seven-footer Robinson, 28, and the sharpshooter Shamet, 29, both played impactful roles for the Knicks during their 2026 championship run. The former was the team’s go-to rebounder and shot-blocker behind Karl-Anthony Towns and the latter was a tremendous floor-spacer, shooting a scalding 47.5 percent from three in the playoffs.

But both players are now set to be unrestricted free agents this summer. Knicks owner James Dolan also recently said rather bluntly that he does not intend to go into the second apron for next season.

Shamet has been a Knick since 2024. But we did hear even in the middle of the NBA Finals that he was expected to draw heavy free agent interest this offseason.

Meanwhile, Robinson is by far the longest-tenured player on the Knicks (since 2018) and is very beloved by the local fanbase. Though a previous report suggested that the Knicks were leaning towards keeping Robinson, they may now be drawing a line in the sand thanks to how prohibitive the second apron is.