Mitchell Robinson agrees to a 3-year, $47.4 million deal with the Celtics, AP source says

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BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have agreed to a $47.4 million, three-year deal with veteran center Mitchell Robinson, who is fresh off winning an NBA title with the New York Knicks, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until July 6. The deal also includes a third-year player option.

The 7-foot Robinson has spent his entire eight-year career with the Knicks since being selected by them in the second round of the 2018 draft.

Boston, which was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after winning 56 games and earning the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, entered the offseason looking for help protecting the rim.

Robinson played a big role for New York during its championship run, averaging 4.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per game. In the regular season, he averaged 5.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game in 60 appearances as a backup to Karl-Anthony Towns.

It’s unclear if Robinson is being brought in to move into a starting role for the Celtics or to back up Neemias Queta, who started 75 games for Boston this past season.

But Robinson’s addition is a signal that the Celtics are prioritizing frontcourt depth. The move comes after Nikola Vucevic re-signed with Orlando following his trade from Chicago to Boston last season that was stunted by injury.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba