No Bull: Chicago Interested in Signing Knicks' Mitchell Robinson?

As the deadline for a long-term Knicks deal looms, Mitchell Robinson is drawing interest.

Sweet Home Chicago? 

A new report from The Ringer states the Chicago Bulls have expressed interest in New York Knicks interior threat Mitchell Robinson. The veteran's New York future has been the subject of major speculation in the early stages of this offseason, as he'll become a free agent if the Knicks don't ink him to a contractually-induced four-year, $55 million extension by June 30. Despite Robinson's apparent interest in sticking around, little progress has been made toward doing so. 

The report declares that the Bulls' primary target is Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (who will become of the likely Salt Lake departures if they opt to embrace a rebuild in the wake of Quin Snyder's departure and another early playoff exit)

Despite the Knicks' struggles, Robinson has been one of the NBA's rising young talents in the interior. He's fresh off a career-best 8.6 rebound average from last season and was second in the Association with 295 total offensive rebounds. Such endeavors came after injuries limited him to only 31 games during the 2020-21 campaign. 

Beyond New York, Robinson is a perfect fit for a Bulls team desperate for assistance in the interior. Chicago ended a four-year playoff drought with a 46-win season (their best output since 2015) but was tied with Philadelphia for the second-worst average rebounding average in basketball (42.3 per game). 

The rebounding issues were particularly prevalent in the final stanzas of the season when the Bulls went 6-14 over their final 20 regular season games. They were then ousted in five games by the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, a series that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo pull down over 11 a game.