Mitchell Robinson gave the Celtics trouble as a member of the Knicks, so they landed him in free agency.
Editor’s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic here. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.
***
With the Boston Celtics fighting off elimination in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, coach Joe Mazzulla wasted no time calling for an intentional foul on Mitchell Robinson. As soon as the New York Knicks started their first offensive possession with Robinson on the floor, Torrey Craig headed straight for the center to grab him and send him to the free-throw line.
The Hack-a-Mitch strategy, which Mazzulla employed aggressively, was a way to prey upon Robinson’s greatest weakness: foul shooting. It was also, in some ways, the ultimate sign of respect. Earlier in the series, Mazzulla had pointed out just how effective Robinson was for the Knicks. The Celtics weren’t just hoping that Robinson would miss free throws; they were hoping to force him out of the game entirely.
“If you can (force him out), yeah,” Mazzulla had said.
From the way Mazzulla approached that series, it was clear how impactful he considered Robinson. Mazzulla touted Robinson’s screening, lineup versatility, rim protection, offensive rebounding and ability to help on both ends of the floor.
“He’s a huge factor to what they do,” Mazzulla said, “and I’m going to find ways to negate that.”
Moving forward, Mazzulla won’t have that headache. Instead, he will be looking to find ways to maximize Robinson after the Celtics agreed to sign the big man to a three-year, $47.4 million contract, according to a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been completed confirmed Wednesday to The Athletic.
After a first-round loss to the Philadelphia 76ers exposed the limitations of Boston’s frontcourt, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens made no secret of his intentions to address that weakness this offseason. He did so by acquiring one of the best free agent centers available. In what became a thin center market after several other potential targets, including old friend Robert Williams, stayed with their former teams, Boston was able to poach Robinson from their division rivals.
With Robinson joining Neemias Queta, the Celtics should feel far more comfortable about the state of their frontcourt. Luka Garza proved his worth in the regular season, but his athletic limitations put his playoff value into question. Robinson comes with no such concerns. He can move his feet well enough in pick-and-roll coverage. He’s a dangerous lob threat. And, on top of the vulnerabilities he should cover up, he should also elevate one of the Celtics’ greatest strengths. Robinson is one of the best offensive rebounders of all time, coming off the best offensive rebounding season of his career. As good as Garza and Queta are at securing extra possessions, Robinson is otherworldly in that regard, as he and Dennis Rodman have the same career offensive rebound rate of 17.2 percent. The Celtics, who ranked fifth in offensive rebound rate, could be a threat to lead the league next season.
Robinson’s availability is a concern; he has played an average of 42 games over the past four regular seasons. Still, considering Garza has proven he can produce as an innings eater, the Celtics should feel comfortable with their ability to overcome injuries during the regular season. As long as Robinson is healthy for the playoffs, his skill set will address much of what Boston has needed.
When Queta experienced severe foul trouble during the first round, the Celtics typically used Nikola Vučević as the primary backup. He was ineffective enough that they benched him entirely in Game 7. Even before Vučević signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent, it was clear the Celtics were hoping to go in another direction at backup center. Robinson fixes that issue. If they start him, the Celtics could thwart opponents from trying the same Hack-a-Mitch strategy Mazzulla turned to so frequently against the Knicks. Teams won’t be able to send Robinson to the line if his team isn’t in the bonus.
The Celtics also filled another roster hole by reaching a one-year agreement with veteran point guard Mike Conley, as a league source confirmed to The Athletic. Set to turn 39 before next season, he has lost a step or two from his extremely productive peak, but he remains capable of running an offense. Essentially down to two guards they were willing to play by the end of last season, the Celtics needed another guard capable of handling minutes behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. Even if Conley doesn’t play much, he should give Mazzulla another trustworthy option on the bench. Stevens has long held respect for Conley, widely considered one of the NBA’s best teammates. In 2018, Stevens said it was a joke that Conley had not made any All-Star teams yet. The point guard later earned his lone All-Star Game berth in 2021.
“He’s just a winner,” said Stevens, the Celtics’ coach at the time. “And that’s all that really has ever mattered to him.”
After using their mid-level exception on Robinson, the Celtics are now hard-capped at the first apron while about $5.1 million under that threshold. They don’t currently have any roster spots available, though they could open one by waiving Dalano Banton’s non-guaranteed contract. Even if they do that, they would be a hair above the luxury tax line, though they could make future moves to get under it and reset the repeater tax.
The Celtics roster could be nearly set, but they have also flirted with the idea of a massive shakeup while assessing Jaylen Brown’s trade market. Even if they don’t trade Brown this summer, they will need to deal with the significant ramifications of their willingness to consider it, according to league sources granted anonymity to freely discuss the possibility.
Whatever comes next with Brown, the Celtics found a major upgrade at a position of need in Robinson. Based on the way Mazzulla treated the big man as an opponent, you can bet the coach is excited to have Robinson on his side now.
***
Jay King is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Celtics. He previously covered the team for MassLive for five years. He also co-hosts the “Anything Is Poddable” podcast. You can follow Jay on X @ByJayKing.
