3 Backup power forward options Knicks can explore after Obi Toppin trade

On Saturday, New York Knicks fan favorite and 2020 No. 8 overall pick Obi Toppin was traded to the Indiana Pacers for a pair of second-round picks.

When Toppin was selected by the Knicks out of Dayton, fans and analysts expected him to step in as the next starting power forward for the orange and blue after a trade partner was found for current starter Julius Randle. Despite this, Randle broke out during the 2020-2021 NBA campaign, notching his first All-Star and All-NBA selections while winning the league’s ‘Most Improved Player’ award.

After Randle proved he was one of the league’s best at the 4 position, Toppin was left in his shadow. The Brooklyn native has never averaged more than 17.1 minutes per game during an entire season and only received 15 starts in his three-year career with the Knicks.

Knicks need to explore backup power forward options after Obi Toppin trade

Regardless of where you stand on the whole Randle/Toppin debate, the fact is that the Knicks need a backup power forward of some kind.

Here are three options for the New York Knicks can explore at the secondary 4 spot.

Option 1: Knicks keep their rotation as is and play small

After signing 26-year-old guard Donte DiVincenzo to a four-year $50 million deal on the same day as the Obi Toppin exchange, New York essentially replaced a forward with a guard, making its group of reserves even smaller than before.

When Randle was dealing with his ankle problems late last season, Tom Thibodeau would often throw out rotations that included both Josh Hart and RJ Barrett playing at power forward. While their size doesn’t really match up against a lot of teams in the league, something these players don’t lack is rebounding and paint presence.

As a Knick, Hart has averaged 7.0 rebounds per game, 1.9 of which have been on the offensive glass. If you ask Hart himself about his rebounding prowess, he’ll even tell you his board ability “breaks teams.”

In Barrett’s case, he has established himself (especially with his struggles from behind the arc) as someone who gets their money’s worth from inside the paint and takes the ball to the basket with authority.

If New York were to face a team like Cleveland again, there would be a valid reason for worry considering what is again, a disadvantage in size that would play a role on both ends of the floor. While you could talk about speed potentially neutralizing the size problem, it doesn’t do much of anything as NYK was 25th in the league in pace last season.

With the addition of DiVincenzo, New York not only becomes a better three-point shooting team, but a better ball-moving team as well. If the Knicks do in fact decide to go this route, they will be relying on quick exchanges and improved shooting to provide offense when their reserves are on the floor. Since Randle would obviously be on the bench during this rotation, it should improve the pace of play and add more fluidity to the offense as a whole.

Option 2: Knicks bring back Danilo Gallinari 

Look, I understand that Danilo Gallinari is coming up on age 34, has torn his ACL multiple times, and will not be able to replace Obi Toppin’s agility when on the floor. However, if Leon Rose does decide to come to terms with the 14-year NBA vet, he will help contribute to a major hole that New York needs to fill: three-point shooting.

For his career, Gallinari is a 38.2% shooter from long distance. In fact, his shooting ability hasn’t diminished as he’s gotten older, it actually has ‘aged like fine wine.’ Over his last four seasons with the Clippers, Thunder, and Hawks, Gallinari has shot 40.6% from downtown, and the league average in 2022-2023 was 37.7%.

Sure, you could argue that the Knicks already have their shooter in Evan Fournier, and that could very well be correct.

Fournier broke a Knicks franchise record in 2021-2022 for the most threes made in one season with 241 but was out of the rotation for the majority of 2022-2023 due to his lack of defensive ability. Additionally, Fournier has expressed his desire to be traded so the likelihood he’s staying in NYC is slim to none.

At this point, Gallinari is a low-risk, high-reward. If he pans out, great. If he hurts the team, we know Thibs won’t hesitate to let him ride the bench for the duration of the year.

Option 3: Knicks sign veteran JaMychal Green

Often in the NBA, a signing that may not look very meaningful at the time can go a long way in the future. In this case, I think there could be something between the New York Knicks and veteran power forward JaMychal Green.

Throughout his 11-year NBA career, Green has played for five teams (all in the Western Conference) and has made the playoffs in eight of those seasons.

In 57 games for the Golden State Warriors last year, he shot a rock solid 37.8% from behind the arc while also collecting almost four rebounds in 14 minutes per game. Along with this, his effective field goal percentage came in at a career-high 62.3%.

Most importantly, Green had a career-best defensive rating of 112.8 during his time with ‘Dub Nation’ which is just above the league average of around 111.

The point is, Green has proven he can still contribute positive basketball (subscription required) and help a team win games. I’m not saying he needs to play big minutes, but he’s a great reserve to insert during a game when the team might be in need of a couple of big plays.

Just like Gallinari, Green’s cost will not be high and the signing would be very low risk, high reward.

It would not surprise me if the Knicks are ‘done’ evaluating the free agent market, but I would really like them to take a look at Alabama’s 2008 ‘Mr. Basketball.’

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