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Knicks guard Nate Robinson went into last summer a restricted free agent, with his team not looking to spend any cash. The muted free agent market left Robinson and fellow traveler David Lee without decent offers from outside bidders, and each re-signed in New York on one-year deals.Lee turned that rental into a pretty stellar 2009-10 campaign (so far), and it's clear that if the Knicks don't bid for Lee as an unrestricted free agent this summer, someone else will. Robinson got on the bad side of coach Mike D'Antoni, however, and has seen his value plummet thanks to a string of DNP-CDs.
And now, Robinson wants out of New York (unsurprisingly -- pending free agents can't be content sitting). But the push to leave has just come too late.
Nate's value wasn't at peak last summer -- as a younger, cheaper player the previous two seasons, he had more respect on the market. But still, Robinson had been thought of rather highly, perhaps a top five scoring guard off the bench (and who doesn't need scoring off the bench?). But no teams could rustle up enough cap (or cap space) to pull him into the fold, and in taking a one-year deal Robinson took all the risk in the relationship.
Now it's come to roost, as D'Antoni seemingly refuses to give Robinson another shot. Agent Aaron Goodwin told New York media he wants to try to help his client get moved, or perhaps eventually bought out. That might actually be the best solution for all parties: the Knicks would save a few bucks, and Robinson would get an opportunity to show his skills in advance of free agency. There's no reason for New York to not agree to a, say, $2 million buy-out settlement (Robinson is owed $4 million). If Robinson can grab $1 million or so from a contender and get some high profile playing time, it's a long-term win.
Otherwise, few teams seem likely to give up an asset for Robinson's service, and the Knicks won't just take a piece of crud -- they could just let Nate rot. Goodwin doesn't look like he'll let that happen, and Goodwin usually finds solutions in these situations. We'll see how it pans out.
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