Proposed Obi Toppin trade would give Knicks 2023 NBA Draft first-round pick

The New York Knicks don’t have a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but that could change. The front office could decide to trade for a late first-round pick perhaps. There are various ways that the Knicks could do so, including a deal with the Pacers involving Obi Toppin.

The 25-year-old forward’s first three seasons in the league didn’t go as hoped after he was drafted No. 8 overall by New York in 2020. Since then, he’s averaging 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in only 14.7 minutes. Those aren’t numbers that are expected out of a lottery pick. It isn’t because Toppin’s a bust. His fit with the Knicks was made complicated by the rise of Julius Randle, who had his first All-Star breakout season when Toppin was a rookie.

It was assumed that New York would move on from Obi ahead of the trade deadline with Indiana popping up as the most prominent landing spot, but he remained on the roster. The Knicks exercised his fourth-year option for 2023-24 and he’s set to be a restricted free agent next offseason. Based on how he’s been used, New York could decide to actually move on from him this summer.

One interesting trade scenario that’s been proposed surfaced on Twitter. Ryan Hammer put out a first-round mock draft that had the Knicks selecting at No. 29 via a trade with the Pacers involving Toppin.

Will New York Knicks use Obi Toppin in trade to get 2023 NBA Draft pick?

In the trade, New York would be sending Obi Toppin and a 2024 first-round pick to Indiana for guard Chris Duarte and the Pacers’ No. 29 2023 first-round pick. The Knicks currently have four first-round picks in 2024, but only one of those picks is their own.

The trade that Hammer proposed would check out considering that New York reportedly was in the works of a deal that involved Toppin and Duarte in February.

Duarte is a player that the Knicks had an interest in trading up for in the 2021 draft, where he was selected No. 13 overall. After a strong rookie showing where he averaged 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 55 games (39 starts), Duarte’s numbers took a dip as he averaged 7.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 46 games (12 starts) this past season. He did battle a series of injuries that seemed to be part of the reason why he wasn’t able to break out of his sophomore slump.

Similar to Toppin, it doesn’t seem as if Duarte is going to have much of a role with the Pacers moving forward. In his rookie season, he proved that he can be a talented scorer and a good on-ball defender as well. If he could find his footing with the Knicks, he’d be a valuable addition off the bench.

Of course, as the case has been with Obi, Duarte’s continued development could be hindered by being kept on a short leash by Tom Thibodeau. If New York does trade for Duarte, Thibodeau shouldn’t be allowed to treat Duarte the same way that he has treated Toppin. Otherwise, trading for Duarte would be pointless.

As bittersweet as it would be to see Obi Toppin go, Knicks fans have had time to prepare for his expected departure. Given the interest that Chris Duarte has drawn from New York in the past, he could be one of the players that find their way to the Knicks this offseason.

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