The Boston Celtics have added one of the NBA’s premier offensive rebounders and rim protectors, agreeing to a deal with free agent center Mitchell Robinson.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Robinson has agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million contract with Boston that includes a player option for the 2028-29 season. The move ends Robinson’s eight-year tenure with the New York Knicks, where he played an important role on the franchise’s 2026 NBA championship team.
Boston entered the offseason looking to strengthen its interior after finishing 56-26, second in the Eastern Conference, before suffering a first-round playoff exit to the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games. Robinson gives the Celtics another proven defensive center to pair with Neemias Queta, who started 75 games last season and averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 65.3% from the field.
Robinson appeared in 60 games during the 2025-26 season, primarily as a reserve, averaging 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 0.9 steals in just 19.6 minutes per game. He converted an outstanding 72.3% of his field-goal attempts and finished eighth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Those numbers continued a career-long trend. Robinson owns a remarkable 70.2% career field-goal percentage across 397 regular-season games, one of the highest marks in NBA history among high-volume finishers. His offensive rebounding has consistently been among his biggest strengths, as he has averaged 3.7 offensive boards and 8.0 total rebounds while playing only 23.4 minutes per game over his career.
Adding Robinson gives Boston another elite paint defender capable of protecting the rim without requiring offensive touches. Nearly all of his scoring comes around the basket through lobs, putbacks and dump-off passes, allowing him to complement high-usage scorers rather than compete with them.
The signing also provides valuable insurance in the frontcourt. While Queta enjoyed a breakout campaign, Boston relied heavily on him throughout the regular season, with Luka Garza serving as the primary backup. Robinson’s experience in deep playoff runs and his physical rebounding should strengthen the rotation against the Eastern Conference’s bigger frontcourts.
