This isn’t something that New York Knicks fans want to see happen, but it’s something that could happen. If Julius Randle stays in New York (and he’s said that he will), various teams could call the Knicks’ front office to inquire about Obi Toppin.
As long as Randle’s in the starting lineup, Toppin’s going to play a limited role. The 2020 lottery pick was allowed to excel at the end of the 2021-22 season because Randle was out and the Knicks had already been eliminated from the playoffs.
Toppin’s shown that with continued development and time on the court, which isn’t a guarantee under Tom Thibodeau, he’s capable of being a starter in the NBA.
Randle signed a four-year, $117 million extension with New York before the start of this past year and it’ll kick in at the start of 2022-23. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026, but in 2025-26, he has a $24.5 million player option.
Even if the Knicks wanted to trade Randle before that point, it’s going to be easier said than done, especially given how he performed this past season.
With that being said, moving Toppin isn’t as absurd as it sounds, although it’s not something that should happen. Here are three teams that could call up the front office this summer to try to persuade New York to say goodbye to the young fan favorite.
3 teams that could trade for New York Knicks’ forward Obi Toppin
3: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that thanks to mastermind GM Sam Presti, has a bright future. And it could get even brighter if the organization brings a budding star like Toppin into the mix.
Oklahoma City’s starting power forward for the majority of the 2021-22 season was Darius Bazley. He averaged 10.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 69 games (53 starts). Bazley shot 42.2% from the field and 29.7% from the 3-point line.
Bazley’s production dropped from 2020-21 to this past year, while Toppin drastically improved with an increased amount of playing time. Bazley averaged 27.9 minutes during the regular season while Toppin averaged 17.1.
There was talk of the Thunder trading up in the 2020 draft to choose Toppin, but Oklahoma City remained at No. 17 with its pick via Minnesota. That pick ended up being Aleksej Pokusevski, who is the power forward for the team’s second unit.
If Presti’s interested in getting an upgrade with a high ceiling, he should have an eye on Toppin. It might be tough to envision as a Knicks fan, but a lineup consisting of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Toppin would be a lot of fun. And the best part is that the Thunder would get to maintain their youth in the process.
2: Houston Rockets
If the Houston Rockets can do what they’ve been trying to do for months now, which is finding a trade partner for John Wall and his $47.4 player option (which he’s expected to opt into) for 2022-23, the team would have room to continue their rebuild.
Houston finished a league-worst 20-62 this past season, but it was somehow still three more wins than the Rockets had in 2020-21 (17-55). In 2019-20, Houston had James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Clint Capela, and PJ Tucker on its roster. Those days are long gone.
The Rockets are working to become relevant again, and while the past two years have been ugly, there’ll be light at the end of the tunnel if they can get Wall off their books. And Houston could end up with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft.
Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and/or Dennis Schroder could be traded during the offseason, so there’s a possibility that the Knicks could be interested in one of those players. That isn’t something that should necessarily happen, but New York’s known for making questionable moves.
The main thing standing in between Toppin and the Rockets is starting power forward Jae’San Tate’s club option of $1.8 million for 2022-23. For that low of a price, Houston would be wise to keep him.
1: Minnesota Timberwolves
Pat Beverley, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Obi Toppin, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Sheesh. Wouldn’t that be fun basketball?
Like the Thunder, the Minnesota Timberwolves were linked to Toppin in the 2020 draft. And for good reason. He would’ve been a good fit with Minnesota a couple of years ago and he still would be now.
Toppin running pick-and-rolls with Russell would be fantastic, as long as you’re not a Knicks fan, that is. And while Toppin’s 3-point shot has been of concern, he shot 46.3% from beyond the arc in New York’s final five games of the season. Towns wouldn’t be the only big man on the Timberwolves who can knock down shots at deep.
Minnesota’s current starter at the four is Jarred Vanderbilt, who also attended Kentucky. In the 74 games (67 starts) that he played this past year, Vanderbilt averaged 6.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He shot 58.7% from the floor and a poor 14.3% from the 3-point line.
Vanderbilt’s rebounding is better than Toppin’s, but that could be because Toppin’s spent less time on the floor than Vanderbilt. However, Toppin’s hot streak to close out the season proved that he’s a dynamic scorer, which is something that Vanderbilt isn’t.
If the Timberwolves were interested in bringing Toppin in to compete for the starting power forward position, they wouldn’t have to give up too much, so it’d be more than worth the reward.
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