Knicks Trade Obi Toppin to Pacers; What's Next?
The New York Knicks are moving on after trading forward Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers over the weekend.
Toppin was dealt to the Pacers for a pair of second-round picks, a meager return for the former No. 8 overall pick, even if it's better than losing him for nothing. Trading Toppin away also clears up the depth chart at the forward spot, but now it's time to figure out the guards.
The Knicks have found a replacement for Evan Fournier after signing Donte DiVincenzo away from the Golden State Warriors to a four-year, $50 million contract. But now, finding a trade for Fournier is the next item on the to-do list for the Knicks' offseason.
Steve Popper of Newsday says that the Knicks are trying to do right by the veteran, who was benched in the middle of last season.
"According to a team source, the Knicks are trying to utilize Evan Fournier’s $18.9 million expiring contract to make a trade," Popper writes. "But also are determined to not force Fournier, who was a good soldier throughout last season’s benching, to wither on the bench again in what should be the prime years of his career."
Fournier, 30, has a hefty contract and it isn't exactly the easiest deal to move on from considering another team needs to be willing to take it on. Perhaps the Knicks could attach those second-round picks acquired in the Toppin trade to incentivize another team to take on the salary, but some of the extra first-round choices they've gained in recent years might be on the table as well.
The Knicks are likely weighing their options to see if they want to trade Fournier simply to get off his salary or to acquire a player to help the team with a similar cap hit, like Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby. New York could also be a facilitator in a trade that gets James Harden away from the Philadelphia 76ers or Damian Lillard out of the pacific northwest with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Either way, it seems the next step in the Knicks' offseason is to find a new home for the Frenchman who had long been removed from head coach Tom Thibodeau's nine-man rotation.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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