Report: Knicks and Celtics preparing for Pelicans center sweepstakes as Mitchell Robinson nears free agency

New York and Boston are both circling the same offseason chessboard, according to a report from Yahoo Sports that frames the next days of NBA free agency around a projected Knicks personnel shift and an emerging center market involving the New Orleans Pelicans. The piece indicates the Knicks, facing the likelihood that their best option at backup center, Mitchell Robinson, will not return, are preparing for life after his expected exit from the roster’s books.

Robinson’s situation is described as central to New York’s planning. The report characterizes his departure as widely anticipated across the league, and it points to financial constraints as a key reason that outcome has become the working expectation rather than a surprise. In that context, it portrays the Knicks as looking at alternatives in advance of the start of free agency, rather than waiting to react once other teams have already made decisions.

At the same time, the report says the Celtics are “set to enter” the same sweepstakes, which is framed as the market for a Pelicans center. The wording suggests Boston views the center pool as a meaningful place to spend in order to reshape or stabilize its frontcourt rotation, even as it remains aligned with the reality that New Orleans may be willing to listen to offers.

Taken together, the reported angle is less about a single domino and more about timing. Free agency is often where teams lock in positional needs quickly, and a market that includes Pelicans big-man options can pull multiple contenders into the same bidding window. If New York is already planning around Robinson’s likely departure, it would need to prioritize an internal balance of minutes, matchups, and roster composition rather than simply replace one player one-for-one.

For New York fans, the headline issue is how the Knicks replace a specific type of center availability. Robinson’s role, as described in the report, is explicitly tied to New York’s backup group rather than the starting five, meaning the replacement question is likely about bench production and matchup flexibility. For Boston, the same question is about whether a Pelicans center option can plug into a rotation in a way that complements the team’s overall identity on both ends.

Because this is a pre-free-agency report, the key caveat is that it reflects expectations and team intentions rather than a finalized transaction. Until the league’s official signing and roster updates confirm the destination, the most accurate takeaway is that both the Knicks and the Celtics are being positioned as serious participants in the center market associated with New Orleans. The next development to watch is whether New York and Boston can secure their preferred frontcourt fit once contract structures and negotiations become public.

Ultimately, the story matters for the postseason picture because center depth tends to define playoff rotations, especially against opponents that play through the middle. If Robinson does leave New York as projected and the Celtics and Knicks both intensify interest in a Pelicans center, it could accelerate a reshaping of the conference’s playoff-ready frontcourt plans in a short span of time. That also sets up a domino effect across the league as other teams adjust to the new availability of backup and rotational big men.