With much of the NBA offseason chatter focusing on Giannis Antetokounmpo and a possible trade to the Heat or Celtics, the Raptors haven’t appeared in many of the biggest rumors recently. One thing that was reported by NBA insider Jake Fischer, however, is that the Raptors are looking for a center upgrade and have expressed interest in Mitchell Robinson.
That may end up being a very short-lived pursuit. Robinson just won a championship with the New York Knicks, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Monday that re-signing him in free agency was one of the organization’s priorities and that they would even dip into the luxury tax to make him an offer “that will keep him.”
While Robinson, of course, hasn’t signed a deal yet, it seems fair to assume that he will be intrigued by a chance to return to his championship team with a lucrative new deal. If this is it for the Raptors Mitchell Robinson pursuit, there is an obvious silver lining: Hopefully, it will steer them towards a center target that would be a smoother fit.
Mitchell Robinson comes with many of the same concerns as Jakob Poeltl
The Raptors weren’t a great rebounding team this past season, and Darko Rajaković specifically said in his end-of-season media availability that he would like the team to have better paint defense. Robinson averaged 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in less than 20 minutes per game this regular season—both slightly better than what Jakob Poeltl averaged in 25 minutes per game across 46 games.
But Robinson also comes with many of the very concerns that have defined Poeltl’s Raptors tenure. He has a concerning injury history, he struggles to make free throws, and he doesn’t space the floor. A non-shooting center isn’t the best fit next to Scottie Barnes, who is a 30% 3-point shooter for his career, and notably limits the space he—and everyone else—has to work with. A center who is a better defender than Sandro Mamukelashvili but can also space the floor, on the other hand, would open up the floor for everyone and could help take the Raptors’ offense to new heights.
If Robinson is unavailable, maybe the Raptors will consider looking for someone who fits that description. The only problem—and it’s a big problem—is that those players don’t grow on trees and aren’t often available. The Raptors could get lucky if Myles Turner, who averaged 38.3% shooting from behind the arc on 5.4 attempts per game and 1.6 blocks, becomes available. If the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, they may also want to move on from their other veterans.
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