Celtics dip into free agency pool to sign NBA champion big man Mitchell Robinson and point guard Mike Conley Jr.

Last week, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said when free agency opened, he intended to pursue a big man who could be a force at the rim, and a guard with some speed.

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On the second day of free agency, the Celtics took steps toward addressing those needs.

League sources confirmed the Celtics agreed to a three-year, $47.4 million contract with Mitchell Robinson, the defensive-minded, lob-catching big man who came off the bench to help the Knicks snap their 53-year title drought last month.

Also, according to league sources, the Celtics agreed to a one-year contract with former Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley Jr., who will be entering his 20th NBA season.

Robinson averaged 5.7 points and 8.8 rebounds last season and is a particularly dominant offensive rebounder, a skill coach Joe Mazzulla values highly. The 28-year-old shot 72.3 percent from the field thanks to his steady diet of dunks and layups. He is well known as a liability at the foul line, however, where he shot a career-low 40.8 percent in 2025-26.

The Celtics are among the many teams that have intentionally fouled Robinson over the years. It was partly to steal a possession with likely misses, but also to coax the Knicks to take him off the floor because he is such a weapon in other areas.

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Robinson will likely come off the bench in Boston behind Neemias Queta, whose breakout season helped propel the Celtics to 56 wins while Jayson Tatum spent most of the year rehabbing his Achilles injury.

The Celtics had a hole to fill in the paint due to the departure of backup big man Nikola Vucevic, who was acquired in a trade with the Bulls last February but was slowed by a broken finger in Boston and never developed a rhythm with the team. League sources said last week that a Vucevic return was extremely unlikely, and Wednesday the veteran big man agreed to a deal with the Magic.

Conley spent the last three-plus seasons with the Timberwolves, last year filling a bench role for the first time in his career. Conley appeared in 54 games last season and averaged 4.5 points and 2.9 assists. He has made 38.7 percent of his 3-pointers during his career but connected at a lower percentage, 33.7, in ’25-26.

In addition to being a reliable backup point guard, Conley should also bring a veteran presence to the Celtics. He is a four-time winner of the league’s Sportsmanship Award, the most of any player.

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