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The New York Knicks have set their training camp roster, but fans already have a good idea of who will ultimately be on the final roster.
There are still some things that fans will have to look out for, and that’s the battle between Julius Randle and Obi Toppin.
Toppin is a former lottery pick from the Knicks, but he’s have trouble getting a lot of playing time due to who is in front of him on the depth chart. The talent has never been in question, but coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t like playing the two of them on the floor together, so there aren’t many other options for Toppin.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley notes that as an important part of training camp for the team, and if they aren’t able to find a middle ground, either Randle or Toppin would have to be shopped.
Big Trade Incoming?
Trading away Toppin or Randle would be big for the team, and it’s important to not trade somebody just for the sake of trading them.
However, Toppin could likely find some value around the league, even in a straight up swap. Randle will be tougher to move because of his bigger deal, but it’s not impossible.
As of right now, it’s not something the Knicks have to worry about, but they might have to cross that road soon.
“Finally, they must make a call sooner than later on Toppin’s standing with the franchise,” Buckley wrote. “They liked him enough to make him the No. 8 pick in 2020, but he’s been trapped behind Randle ever since. If the Knicks see Toppin as a potential centerpiece, they need to search for Randle trades. If they’re less convinced about Toppin’s future, then it’s probably worth shopping him around instead.”
It’s a tough thing to think about because many fans would rather see Toppin stick around and Randle get moved, but that would almost certainly make the team worst in the short term.
Toppin Still Developing
Unless Randle is able to get back to an All-NBA form, it seems like he has shown what he will be, and it’s a 20/10/5 player who is inconsistent with his shooting.
Toppin hasn’t gotten a chance to fully show his potential, and that’s because he isn’t a starter. There’s no guarantee he’ll blossom into something great, but it’d still be nice to know before decisions are made.
At the end of last season, Toppin did flash a lot of potential in the absence of Randle, but opportunities like that don’t arise for him all too often. The Knicks have already given up on a lottery pick in Kevin Knox, and they appear to be on the verge of another one flaming out with Cam Reddish, albeit that one wasn’t their choice, so they’ll want to avoid the same thing happening with Toppin.
What is working in Toppin’s favor is the fact he does have a role on the team as a backup, where Reddish is fighting to get minutes at all. It’ll definitely be something interesting to keep an eye on going forward.
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