ESPN Asks 'What If:' What's Knicks' Biggest Regret?

If one informed New York Knicks fans in 2020 that Obi Toppin and Tyrese Haliburton would be teammates by 2023, they'd perhaps be ecstatic. The dream is a reality ... albeit in Indianapolis.

In looking back on the biggest "what if" scenario for each Eastern Conference team in the past five years, ESPN's Tim Bontemps took the Knicks back to the 2020 NBA Draft. With the eighth pick in those selections, the Knicks chose Dayton forward Obi Toppin ... four picks before the Sacramento Kings took Tyrese Haliburton out of Iowa State.

Haliburton has since moved onto the Indiana Pacers and turned himself into an All-Star. Toppin, on the other hand, never found a consistent role in the New York rotation and has likewise since been traded to Indiana. Bontemps acknowledges that the Knicks have "slowly but surely built up their talent base under president of basketball operations Leon Rose" but choosing Toppin over Haliburton lingers as a "significant mistake."

"With Haliburton, the Knicks would be good enough to take down the (Miami) Heat in the conference semifinals, before losing to the (Boston) Celtics in the conference finals, all while still having their current cache of young players and draft capital to add another star whenever one shakes free," Bontemps says. He also laments the basketball world being denied a chance to see Haliburton collaborate with Jalen Brunson.

"Toppin has been a bit player the past three years in New York, while Haliburton has blossomed into one of the game's brightest young stars. Under this scenario, the Knicks still had the money to sign Jalen Brunson this past offseason, and the Brunson-Haliburton combo would fit together perfectly."

Toppin averaged less than 15 minutes a game in three season in blue and orange, making only 15 starts in that span. His tenure was rife with questions about both his playing time and head coach Tom Thibodeau, leading to the trade to the Pacers for the meager return of two second-round picks. The Knicks have yet to fill the backup power forward spot behind Julius Randle with Toppin gone.

With Brunson and Randle in tow and playing the best basketball of their careers and young talents like RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, or Immanuel Quickley also lined up, the Knicks are entering a period of justifiable optimism on their franchise timeline. There's hardyly any doubt, however, that they'd be a lot better off if they called Haliburton over Topping four drafts ago.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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