New York Knicks insider Ian Begley said the team trading Obi Toppin was one of their biggest mistakes over the past few years.
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Obi Toppin #1 of the Indiana Pacers is guarded by Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks during the first quarter in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals.
TheNew York Knicks had unparalleled success last seasoncompared to what they accomplished over the past 25 years. While the front office has put togethera strong roster capable of competing for a title, thatdoesn’t meanthey’ve done everything perfectly.
Knicks insider Ian Begley offered up what he thought has been thefranchise’s biggest mistake over the past few years.Responding to fan questions, Begley said NewYork’s trading ofObi Toppin has turned out to be one of their biggest missteps.
“This front office has done really well. But even the best front offices make mistakes. The one I look at is Obi Toppin,”Begley wrote. “Toppin never had a clear path to significant minutes because he was behind an All-NBA player inJulius Randle.”
Toppin averaged nine points and 4.7 rebounds in 19 minutes a game for theIndiana Pacers against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. He also hadsome historic performances in the NBA Finals against theOklahoma City Thunder.
Toppin showed potential while in New York, but now in Indiana, the former College Player of the Year looks to have finally found a rhythm and histrue place on an NBA roster.
KnicksDidn’t Let Toppin Shine
Coming to New York as the eighth overall pick in 2020,Toppin’s college career painted the picture that he was goingto immediately be an impactful NBA player. While he struggled in his rookie year, the Knicks put him on the shelf behind Randle and their other forwards.
Toppin, known for his athleticism and defensive versatility, never had the chance to do what he does best. Instead, he was either asked to take abig role at the beginning or come off the bench and play a mini-Randle role, something he justwasn’t fit to do.
Instead,hewas traded to Indiana in the summer of 2023, where he quietlyturned into one of theirbest role players on a team filled with great role players. Since arriving at the Pacers,Toppin’s points, rebounds, assists, steals, and shooting percentagehave all increased.
“The Knicks then traded Toppin for a minimal return and he developed into an important rotation player for the Eastern Conference champion Pacers,”Begley added.
In return, New Yorkgot back two second-round picks, neitherturning out to be players onthis current Knicks roster. After seeingToppin’s impact on the Pacers this year, they wouldcertainly love to have a player of his caliber off the bench, especially for a team that needs all the bench depth it can get.
Begley OnNY’s Moves This Summer
In the same mailbag, Begley responded to multiple questions about any other moves New York will make this summer.They’ve already addedJordan Clarkson andGuerschon Yabusele, but have another roster spot open.
Rumorssay they are targetingBen Simmons,Russell Westbrook, or another guardlike Malcolm Brogdon in hopes offinding another playmaker behind Brunson.
“Ben Simmons iscertainly a candidate for theKnicks’ final roster spot. As of earlier this week, New York continued to show strong interest in signing Simmons as teams in on Simmons await his decision,”Begley wrote.
“Any team that is in the market for a ball-handler would haveto at least be considering Malcolm Brodgon,”Belgey added. “A few years ago, the Knicks did not have strong interest in trading for Brodgon in the middle of the season. But this is a different team with different circumstances.”
It comes down to whether New York wants another Brunson backup or someone more similar to that ofMikal Bridges andOG Anunoby.Toppin would be perfect, but they gave up on him years ago,now seeing him flourish on a team that finally found a way to have him contribute to winning.
Regardless, the Knicks are in a good spot. It seemedthe right move to trade Randle forKarl-Anthony Towns, andthey’ve hada good offseason so far. If trading away Toppin was the worst move the front office has made over the past few years, things could be worse.