Why Would New York Knicks Consider Trading Mitchell Robinson?

Amid all of the trade talks involving Mitchell Robinson, should the New York Knicks be rethinking dealing the big man?

Mitchell Robinson has been part of a fair amount of trade talk as the New York Knicks reportedly seek to add a superstar. But should the Knicks even be considering trading the big man?

Robinson has been one of the most consistent players for the Knicks the past couple of seasons as the anchor of the team's defense. He has averaged two blocks a game over his first five professional seasons and has expressed that he wants to be a contender for Defensive Player of the Year in the future.

As he prepares to enter his third season in the Knicks' starting five, Robinson has recently expressed a desire to get more involved in the Knicks' offense. His work has mostly been confined to under the basket but has given him a sterling success rate of over 71 percent from the field.

If the New York Knicks decide to keep center Mitchell Robinson, he could prove to be key to the team's identity / © Brad Penner, USA TODAY

But defense is where Robinson hangs his hat, and that seems to be the area that the Knicks have taken pride in. Taking that into consideration, maybe the Knicks should hold onto the big man and solidify that defensive identity. Mike Vaccaro made a case for it in the New York Post, calling Robinson the "essential" Knick after his work in last year's five-game playoff series victory over Cleveland, New York's first since 2013.

"He is paramount to everything they wish to be, and when he is at his best he is everything they can be," Vaccaro wrote. "He was at his best last spring in the playoff series against the Cavaliers. By the fifth game, Robinson had reduced Cleveland’s big-man tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to dust, and practically to tears."

Robinson will have another chance to prove his value to the team's identity as he and the rest of the Knicks will be back in action on Saturday for a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG2).