The New York Knicks have agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million deal with former Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond, days after backup center Mitchell Robinson left for the Boston Celtics on a three-year, $47.4 million contract. The Drummond deal cannot be officially completed until Monday at noon.
ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the agreement on Friday. Neither Drummond's agents nor Knicks spokespeople immediately responded to a request for confirmation.
The move amounts to a homecoming for Drummond, who was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and moved to nearby Connecticut at age 7. The 32-year-old is a former All-Star and four-time NBA rebounding leader, but he has moved into a backup role and hasn't averaged more than 20 minutes per game since the 2020-21 season.
That fits New York's needs, where All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns helped the Knicks win their first title in 53 years.
Along with teammates Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, Towns was reportedly expected to attend Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday, the same venue where Swift watched the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals just weeks earlier.
Knicks stars set for Swift-Kelce wedding
According to Page Six, the Knicks starters were all set to attend the ceremony and party in Manhattan. Brunson has made no secret of being a Swiftie, and the Knicks were reportedly happier to see Swift at Game 3 than Donald Trump, who also attended that game.
The Knicks beat Kelce's hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on their way to their first Finals appearance. Kelce did not join Swift at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the Finals because the Kansas City Chiefs were holding minicamp.
Kelce and Swift had previously sat courtside for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and Knicks in Cleveland, a game New York won 121-108 over Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers. Kelce, a fan of Cleveland teams and his alma mater's University of Cincinnati Bearcats, was cheering for the Cavaliers in that series. Swift wasn't seen in Knicks gear in Cleveland, but she wore a custom Knicks-inspired T-shirt while watching New York's 29-point comeback over the Spurs in Game 4 of the Finals.
Robinson's exit from New York
Drummond gives the Knicks a low-cost solution to their biggest offseason need, without adding salary or luxury-tax obligations. But the deal follows a difficult departure for the popular Robinson, who claimed online that he never wanted to leave New York.
When news of Robinson's contract with Boston appeared on Instagram, Anunoby responded with a frowning emoji, prompting a reply from his former teammate. "I tried brother I didn't want this to happen," Robinson wrote back. "Hopefully the truth comes out at some point." He added, "Keep being great," but fans focused on the first part of his message. "Dolan is such a cheapskate," one fan wrote on Instagram, referring to Knicks owner James Dolan. "[Robinson wanted] to work it out but Dolan tied everyone's hands in the deal."
Dolan cites luxury-tax limits
Dolan, the 71-year-old son of Cablevision founder Charles Dolan, had already said the Knicks would not take on additional NBA luxury taxes to re-sign Robinson. "We cannot go into the second apron," Dolan said on WFAN radio in New York this week, saying he wants the team's payroll to stay below $222 million for the coming season.
The NBA's soft salary cap is set at $165 million for next season and allows for several exceptions. Teams that exceed a $201 million luxury tax threshold face escalating penalties, with additional tiers, or aprons, kicking in above $209 million and $222 million. Only a handful of teams have ever crossed into the second apron, which restricts both free-agent signings and trades, and teams also face a "repeater" tax for staying above the luxury tax threshold in consecutive seasons.
Some fans backed the Knicks' stance. "Y'all need to look up the rules of the second apron," one wrote on Instagram. "It's not something you wanna do as a team it makes no sense to do it." Others criticized Robinson's offense. Despite ranking among the league's best post defenders, Robinson made less than 41 percent of his free throws in 2025-26, and he often sat on coach Mike Brown's bench in close games as a result.
"The truth is they didn't want to overpay for a guy that is only a threat on one side of the ball and I don't blame the Knicks for their decision," another fan wrote. "He will be missed but he's the one that wanted the payday not like [captain Jalen Brunson] who turned down millions to stay in NY."
Robinson joins reshaped Celtics roster
Brunson's decision to sign for $113 million less than a full max contract extension in 2024 helped the Knicks end their 53-year title drought with last month's NBA Finals win over the Spurs.
Robinson is joining a Celtics team that has also agreed to re-sign center Neemias Queta to a four-year, $56 million extension. Boston will be without 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who was sent to the 76ers in a trade that brought back two future first-round picks, two second-round picks and 36-year-old Paul George.
