Knicks Dump Obi and Add Donte

Considering Obi was miscast and frequently used offensively as a wing who was asked to stand in the corner, having DiVincenzo replace Toppin in the rotation may be more manageable than it seems...

After staying quiet on the first day of free agency, the Knicks made plenty of noise on Day 2.

On Saturday afternoon, New York agreed to trade Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for two future second-round picks. The deal will be officially consummated on Thursday, when teams can legally sign free agents. The trade will generate a $6.8 million trade exception for New York.

Then, on Saturday evening, multiple outlets reported Donte DiVincenzo agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract with the Knicks.

Okay, with the particulars out of the way, let's talk about the Toppin trade first.

Make no mistake about it, giving up a former top-8 pick (a guy drafted three spots ahead of Spurs' sharpshooter Devin Vassell and four slots in front of rising All-Star Tyrese Haliburton) is undeniably disappointing.

Lottery picks are precious, and the Knicks have seen too many of their recent early first-rounders flop. Frank Ntilikina, the 8th overall pick in the 2017 draft, is currently without a team and may have already played his last professional game on this side of the Atlantic. Kevin Knox, the 9th overall pick in 2018, was dumped in the Cam Reddish deal and is also an unrestricted free agent looking for an NBA home at the league minimum. New York entered the 2022 draft with the 11th overall pick but traded the rights to the pick to OKC for protected future first-rounders (which may convert into second-round selections).

Unlike Ntilikina and Knox, Obi has shown legit flashes of being, at the very least, a quality NBA rotation player a few years into his career, especially when given a genuine opportunity to contribute.

Toppin has started a total of 15 games in his NBA career. In those 15 games, he has averaged:
20.8 points,
5.7 rebounds,
3.1 assists and,
2.7 made three-pointers,
While shooting:
57.6% from the floor,
44.0% from 3PT range,
83.7% from the FT line

Over the past three seasons, only three other players have averaged more than 20 PPG while shooting above 55% from the floor in games they've started (min. 15 starts): Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson.

Yes, it is important to note that many of Toppin's starts came at the end of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, but that doesn't mean the impressive numbers he posted are meaningless.

In the one playoff game he started (Game 1 vs. Miami), Toppin scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and knocked down four three-pointers.

And while Obi's overall numbers in New York are pedestrian, it's crucial to point out that he was asked to play an offensive role that never suited him or worked to accentuate his strengths.

Toppin logged less than 16 minutes a night last season. And when he was on the floor, Obi was rarely put in a position to maximize his greatest gifts. In 2022-23, Toppin attempted a whopping 290 three-pointers and only attempted 70 dunks and 87 lay-ups.

Conversely, in 2019-20, as a redshirt sophomore at the University of Dayton, Toppin was the focal point of the Flyers' high-octane offense (a team that went 29-2). Obi emerged as one of the most efficient scorers in the nation and would be named the National Player of the Year after averaging 20.0 points to go along with 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 dimes while shooting a scorching 63.3% percent from the field.

And NCAA Obi racked up most of his points in the paint. As a freshman, Toppin attempted a total of 21 three-pointers. The following season, he expanded his range but still knocked down just 32 triples in 31 games. Obi attempted 167 "close-in" two-point attempts in 2019-20. That was 30 (!!) more than any other Division 1 player that season. Toppin also led the nation in dunks, with a school-record 107.

Yet, as we know, Toppin's first season in New York coincided with Randle's breakout campaign. It was an unforeseen convergence, which left Toppin shackled to the bench. Since Toppin's NBA debut in October of 2020, Randle has played more minutes than every player in the league not named Mikal Bridges. And with coach Tom Thibodeau unwilling to play Obi and Randle alongside each other, Toppin's opportunities were scarce.

The following players drafted with Obi in 2020 have logged more career minutes than Toppin: Xavier Tillman Sr., Josh Green, Aleksej Pokusevski, R.J. Hampton, Aaron Nesmith and Théo Maledon.

Ultimately, it became clear that Toppin would never reach his potential in New York as long as Thibs and Randle also resided inside MSG. And with Toppin eligible for a contract extension, the Knicks would likely be forced to part ways with a promising young player, sooner or later.

However, my biggest problem with Saturday's trade is the timing. In other words, why not later rather than immediately?