Jalen Brunson Admits Knicks 'Had to Lose' Mitchell Robinson

A month after delivering New York its first championship since 1973, Jalen Brunson finally addressed the departure that stung Knicks fans the most.

Mitchell Robinson, the longest-tenured player on the roster, signed a three-year, $47.4 million contract with the Boston Celtics on July 2, and the front office never made a serious push to keep him.

Speaking Saturday during the Nightcap live show at Fanatics Fest in New York, the Finals MVP explained that the decision was never really a decision at all.

Brunson pointed straight at the league's punishing salary rules when the topic came up.

"Obviously, because of the second apron, we had to lose Mitch," Brunson said, adding that he would have loved to keep the center around after everything Robinson contributed to the title run.

The admission carried extra significance because Robinson hinted at a hidden side to his exit when he announced his departure earlier this month, telling fans he hoped the full story would surface eventually.

Brunson supplied that story in a single sentence, confirming the split came down to accounting rather than basketball, and offering the clearest public explanation any member of the organization has given about one of the offseason's most painful goodbyes.

The captain did not stop at the explanation, either.

Brunson questioned why the league punishes successful rosters so severely, noting that eight different teams have now won the past eight championships.

"You guys want competition, or you don't want super-teams, so what is it?" he asked, wondering aloud whether the sport has drifted toward handing out participation trophies.

His annoyance is easy to understand given his own history, since Brunson took a pay cut worth roughly $113 million to help build this roster, only to watch the cap rules claim a teammate anyway.

New York now moves forward without a center who spent eight seasons protecting its rim, altering shots, and cleaning up the offensive glass better than almost anyone in the sport.

Robinson was a key piece of head coach Mike Brown's rotation during the championship season, and veteran Andre Drummond arrives as the replacement on the glass.

The rest of the core returns intact, led by Brunson, who averaged 28.4 points per game during a 16-3 postseason and poured in 45 points in the clincher over San Antonio.

He is currently recovering from offseason surgery on his left wrist, an injury he played through during the entire Finals, and he is expected back on the court later this summer.

The Knicks will chase a repeat with a slightly different look in the middle, and their captain has embraced carrying that standard.

Losing Robinson hurt the locker room, but Brunson's honesty at least gave supporters the answer they had been waiting weeks to hear.