The New York Knicks reportedly expect their starting center, Mitchell Robinson, to miss the remainder of the 2023-24 NBA season. Robinson underwent surgery on his ankle and was initially set to miss a couple of months.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Knicks already applied for Disabled Player Exception. In Robinson’s case, DPE is worth $7.8 million, half of his $15.6 million salary for this season.
The league grants DPE to teams that have one or more players out with long-term injuries. The process includes NBA-appointed doctors doing an evaluation on the player who is subject to a DPE request and determining whether the injury will prevent the player from returning before the end of the season.
If the Knicks get their DPE request approved, they will have $7.8 million at their disposal to use for signing a free agent or as a trade exception. However, any player they get from the free agent market can only sign a contract until the end of the current campaign. Also, the player they trade for needs to be on an expiring deal.
Mitchell Robinson played 21 games in 2023-24 before going down with an injury. He averaged 6.2 points and a career-high 10.3 rebounds.
The Knicks are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 16-11 record.
