NY Knicks: The 3 biggest needs for the team this offseason

The NY Knicks replacing Obi Toppin seems inevitable at this point

See? I told you I was gonna ruffle some feathers.

I left this slide for last because I can happily live in a world where the Knicks keep Obi Toppin.

Although we’ve discussed the inevitability of him being traded in the near future, unless the right trade package came along, I’d much rather see the development staff continue to work with him if for no other reason than to increase his trade value for some time in the future.

We have to face facts…without knocking how bad he’s been in certain areas, if Julius Randle is to be a core piece for this Knicks team for the future, it would be silly to have a top-10 pick sit behind him the entire time, barely getting any burn out there.

I say all of this wholeheartedly believing that Obi will figure it out one day and have a great career in the NBA, but it won’t be in New York.

It would be wise for them to at least see what he’s worth on the open market between this upcoming offseason and the one after, especially if they begin negotiating on Julius Randle’s next extension soon.

I think the Knicks would be better off with a versatile, stretch forward that can backup either the 3 or the 4, and maybe even some small-ball 5 depending on the player acquired.

Seeing how Coach Thibs stays true to his 10-man rotation no matter what, bringing in a Swiss army knife that won’t require many minutes would be a great addition.

Some names I thought of are as follows:

• PJ Tucker
• Paul Milsap
• JaMychal Green
• Nicolas Batum
• Rudy Gay
• Nemanja Bjelica

Tucker and Milsap would be my picks for the spot. They’d come in relatively cheap due to their age and would provide much more bang for the Knicks’ buck if Thibs can coax the most out of either of them.

Also, I don’t hate bringing in Rudy Gay as another scoring forward off the bench to pair with guys like Reggie, Burks, and Quickley next season.

The Knicks’ second unit is going to be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.