Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony hinted at the organization’s frustrations with Robinson, who has become injury-prone and had complained about his lack of an offensive role in the past.
“I know the Knicks are upset because they couldn’t trade him before the trade deadline,” Joe Budden said on the “7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and Kid Mero” podcast on Feb. 22.
“That’s a fact,” Anthony quickly added, confirming Budden’s information about the Knicks’ starting center.
Anthony was a former client of Knicks president Leon Rose when the front office executive was still a power broker at Creative Artists Agency.
Anthony went on to say that the Knicks have a tough decision to make in the offseason, choosing who to keep between Robinson and Hartenstein, who grew up together, according to The Athletic off the court.
“You have to pay for it,” Anthony said of Hartenstein. “You have to make a decision with Mitchell Robinson. “I mean, you have to pay [Hartenstein]. New York needs that energy. It’s worth it because today you can’t find a nice center like that.
Robinson, who turns 26 on April 1, is in the second year of a four-year, $60 million contract.