Proposed Knicks Trade Would Give Obi Toppin Chance to Thrive

Getty Obi Toppin (R) and RJ Barrett (L) might not be teammates for long.

The New York Knicks lost Obi Toppin to a knee injury in early December, and as he inches closer to a return the team will have to find out how to work him back into the lineup.

Strangely enough, the Knicks have been solid without the services of their former lottery pick, so maybe taking away minutes from what’s working to get him back into the lineup isn’t the best idea. This would lead to a scenario where Toppin is traded away, and there are already rumblings about teams being interested in him.

The Indiana Pacers have been named as a possibility by an Eastern Conference executive speaking to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney.

There has been some talk between the Pacers and Knicks about Obi (Toppin). He fits in Indiana, especially if they keep Turner. Obi is a rim-runner, he has some toughness, he has athleticism. He needs minutes and a team that is rebuilding with young talent like Indy is a really good match,” the exec said.

This has led to SNY’s David Vertsberger to cook up a proposal that would see Toppin join the Pacers to play alongside Tyrese Haliburton, and possibly realize his potential at the same time.

Toppin to Pacers

With Julius Randle’s dominance this season, it’s now tougher than ever for Toppin to get big minutes with the team as coach Tom Thibodeau has notoriously be reluctant to play his two big men together.

This could end up being a factor in trading Toppin, and in doing so the Knicks would be able to find somebody better suited for their system according to Vertsberger. His proposal sees the Knicks get back 3-and-D specialist Oshae Brissett and a first-rounder for Toppin, so it’s a fair trade if New York goes that route.

• Knicks Receive: Oshae Brissett and a first-round pick
• Pacers Receive: Obi Toppin

In explaining the trade, Vertsberger lays out how it could be considered a win-win scenario for both sides.

“Indiana reportedly likes the idea of adding Toppin to their young core, which is understandable given his offensive ceiling if paired with the right situation and lead guard,” he wrote. “The Pacers’ well-coached rebuild led by Tyrese Haliburton may be what fully unleashes Toppin.”

The Knicks need shooting with Evan Fournier out of the lineup, and Toppin hasn’t been a consistent shooter from deep for long enough for the Knicks to put all their trust in him.

“Brissett has been a consistent three-point shooter for longer than Toppin and has better success defending wings, making him an arguably easier fit with the current team’s construction,” Vertsberger concludes.

The Knicks Could Move On

Coming into the season, there was a chance Toppin could see a bigger role with Randle coming off a down year, but that wasn’t the case. Randle came out of the gates strong and he’s making a case for his second All-Star appearance while Toppin went down with an injury that has kept him out for over a month now.

His return is just over the horizon, but his time with the Knicks might be short if New York decides to pull the trigger and ship him away. He’s only in his third season in the league, but he hasn’t shown a bunch of improvement so far, and going into a contract year the Knicks will have to make a decision.

Trading him away now would relieve them of that choice, and they’d be able to get some assets back in return. Although the Knicks have a plethora of future picks in their possession, it can never hurt to add more.