Owner James Dolan’s reluctance to move into second apron territory to keep the Knicks‘ core together could be good news for the Celtics as they search for another center, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Mitchell Robinson is among several free agents on New York’s roster, and he could become too expensive to re-sign if Dolan is determined to avoid the restrictions that come with the second apron.

Robb notes that Boston could target Robinson with its non-taxpayer mid-level exception, starting a new four-year contract at a little over $15MM. Signing Robinson in free agency would hard cap the Celtics at the first apron (around $209MM) for next season, but it would represent a major upgrade at center by teaming him with incumbent starter Neemias Queta.

Robb expects several other teams to get involved in the bidding for Robinson, but Boston figures to be an attractive option that would give him a chance to win another title. Robinson didn’t have a strong performance in the NBA Finals as he was dealing with a broken hand, but he has been one of the league’s best offensive rebounders throughout his career as well as an accomplished shot-blocker, which are both qualities that the Celtics need.

There’s more from Boston:

• In the same piece, Robb states that the Celtics are likely to keep their first-round pick at No. 27 unless it has to be included in a deal for a veteran player. He notes that the front office has a recent history of finding talent late in the first round, landing Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez the past two years. Robb expects the team to either take another front court player to compete with Amari Williams or a ball-handler to provide more backcourt depth. He suggests that the 40th pick might be moved for a couple of future second-rounders.
• In a subscriber-only story, Souichi Terada of MassLive examines wing prospects that might interest Boston with its two picks, including Alex Karaban of UConn.
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscription required) looks at five players the Celtics could pursue with their $27.7MM trade exception, which is the second-largest in the league. Washburn suggests bringing back Anfernee Simons in a sign-and-trade with Chicago or trying to acquire Fred VanVleet from Houston, Trey Murphy III from New Orleans, Malik Monk from Sacramento or Cameron Johnson from Denver.