3 players Knicks should consider moving on from during offseason
1. Obi Toppin
This may come as a bit of a surprise, however, Obi Toppin has been rather disappointing this season and Leon Rose could become more aggressive in the pursuit of upgrading this roster next year, making it more likely than before that Toppin could be traded.
There are plenty of solid backup power forwards that could potentially replace Toppin if he is traded. At the very least, the Knicks could bring someone in who would provide better defense and shooting, two things Toppin has struggled with.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe Toppin has all the talent in the world and is being horrifically misused. However, it’s for this same reason that I believe Toppin should be traded. Sending him to a team that will properly use his pick-and-roll ability would do wonders for his career and would serve him right.
Through 52 games this season, Toppin is averaging 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while shooting 40.8% from the field and 33.1% from deep on 3.3 attempts. Considering how hot he started the season, the fall of Toppin has been sad to see.
Granted, he is only playing about 14.6 minutes a game, but compared to his production last season when he played 17.1 minutes per game, there are no doubts that he has taken a step back.
Again, not all of it is his fault, as he is a player with generational potential as a finisher being used as a catch-and-shoot stretch big, which is not the best thing we have ever seen out of Tom Thibodeau.
Regardless, a new scenario and team would help Toppin’s career while simultaneously allowing the Knicks to upgrade at a pretty important position.
