The Sacramento Kings are among the teams who have recently checked on the Knicks guard Derrick Rose. Several teams talked to New York about Obi Toppin this week. The Knicks’ asking price is said to be significant, as you’d expect.
But the Knicks have engaged with teams on Toppin, who is eligible for an extension this summer. The Indiana Pacers are among the teams that have registered interest in Toppin.
The Knicks will have two open roster spots once the Josh Hart trade becomes official. So they can take back multiple players in any trade of Rose or Toppin.
Just my opinion: it seems clear that the Knicks don’t have an avenue to give Toppin a bigger role. The only obvious route would be to trade Julius Randle, which isn’t happening. Toppin has handled his diminished role with class publicly. As far as I can tell, he’s done everything the franchise has asked of him.
That’s why I think the Knicks should find Toppin a new home before 3 pm today. It would be the right thing to do for a player who has handled a difficult situation with class.
I assume New York will try to get a significant return in any Toppin trade, but the club should send Toppin to a place where he can play significant minutes. It’s not going to happen in New York.
DEPTH WITH HEART
The Knicks upgraded their rotation with the Hart trade. Hart is one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA and can defend multiple positions. He has a player option for next season, which he’d probably decline because his contract for that season is non-guaranteed.
Since the Knicks gave up a protected first-round pick in the deal, it’s fair to assume they plan on making an aggressive offer to Hart in free agency. They have his bird rights and can exceed the cap to sign him.
Hart was represented by the Knicks president Leon Rose when Rose was an agent at CAA.
The pick the Knicks sent the Portland Trail Blazers is their own first-rounder in 2023. It is lottery protected. This puts more onus on New York to make the playoffs this season. If the pick does not convey, it turns into four second-round picks, sources confirm.
The trade puts an end to Cam Reddish‘s tenure in New York. That trade was an undeniable miss for the Knicks. They sent a protected first-rounder and Kevin Knox to the Atlanta Hawks for Reddish. He never had a consistent role with the Knicks. So his value around the league was diminished by the time New York dealt him on Wednesday.
If the Hart acquisition helps New York grow into a contender, most fans will probably forget all about the Reddish trade. But if the Hart trade doesn’t work out well for New York, it will compound the error that they made on the Reddish trade.