Obi Toppin Trade Leaves Knicks a 'Hole' at Power Forward

The New York Knicks have questions to answer after trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers.
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The New York Knicks have some re-adjusting to do after trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers.

New York dealt Toppin for two second-round picks to the Pacers after struggling to find playing time for him behind Julius Randle. Losing Toppin means that there will need to be a change in the team's rotation.

“It was time to trade Obi," an anonymous Knicks source said via Spotrac's Keith Smith. "He needs to play more and we’re committed to Julius Randle. It does leave us with a bit of a hole at the 4, but that’s something we can figure out going into the season.”

With Toppin gone, there's no immediate solution as to who will take his minutes at the power forward spot. The team signed Donte DiVincenzo, but he's a little small compared to Toppin. Sure, the Knicks can roll out a smaller lineup, but there will be some mismatches against some longer teams.

The team could sign an outside free agent like P.J. Washington or Christian Wood, respectively repping Charlotte and Dallas. But Washington's restricted status and Wood's struggles over the past few years leave doubts as to whether they're true replacements behind Randle. New York could give someone currently on their Summer League roster like Isaiah Roby or rookie Jaylen Martin a shot, but neither is a guarantee to be ready to contribute for a contender ... or even make the opening night ledger. 

In what's probably the likeliest option, the Knicks will trade Evan Fournier and take on a power forward in return, likely be someone with something to prove. With an opportunity to be a solid bench option for the Knicks, it could be a match made in heaven.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.