Kristian Winfield: Obi Toppin is the kind of mistake Knicks can't make again

Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News on Jun 21, 2025

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NEW YORK — Obi Toppin is everything the Knicks bet against.

Twenty points on 50% shooting. Four of seven from deep. Two steals, six rebounds, and a plus-eight in 23 minutes off the bench — in the NBA Finals.

The former eighth-overall pick is not just playing on basketball’s biggest stage. He’s excelling — and doing so in the exact role the Knicks never believed he could fill.

New York traded Toppin to the Indiana Pacers for two second-round picks in 2022, citing his inconsistent minutes behind All-Star Julius Randle and then-coach Tom Thibodeau’s reluctance to extend leashes to young players on win-now rosters.

They’d love to have that deal back now.

Randle’s in Minnesota. Thibodeau is out. And the Knicks, once again inches from title contention, are now searching for the very thing they gave up to build their current roster: young, playoff-ready contributors who can make an impact off the bench.

Toppin is the glaring example — a player who didn’t just revitalize his career, but helped bounce the Knicks from the conference finals as a mainstay on a championship-contending Pacers roster. He’s averaging nearly 13 points on roughly 50% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three-point range in the Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And he’s done it behind Pacers All-Star Pascal Siakam, as a trusted bench scorer in the same role New York doubted he could handle.

It’s the kind of mistake the Knicks can no longer afford if they want to turn a strong core into a true championship contender.

The front office has made a habit of moving on from young players. Toppin for two seconds. R.J. Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby. Quentin Grimes to Detroit in the Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks rental deal. Barrett and Quickley were high-cost chips to land Anunoby, whose impact has been undeniable. But Grimes — like Toppin — became a casualty of a shrinking role, then flourished with real opportunity in Philadelphia.

Toppin, however, stands apart. The Knicks traded a lottery pick for pennies on the dollar — only to watch him nail a dagger three in the conference finals and deliver nine double-digit scoring games off the bench during Indiana’s playoff run. He’s providing exactly what the Knicks lacked down the stretch: second-unit firepower and depth that can shift a playoff series.

The irony? New York has more players like Toppin in-house — they just have to commit to developing them.

Last year’s rookie class included first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, second-rounders Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Ariel Hukporti, plus James Nnaji via the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Nnaji may join the Knicks roster for next season, and the Knicks also control pick No. 50 in the 2025 draft.

But the financial runway is tight. New York only has the $5.65M taxpayer mid-level exception and veteran minimums to offer free agents, unless they dip into Bird Rights to re-sign players like Delon Wright or Landry Shamet. Adding even $8M in salary will trigger the second apron — a line that brings harsh penalties and limited flexibility.

Which means the most viable path to improving this roster is internal: maximizing end-of-bench talent and ensuring the next head coach trusts those players to produce when it matters.

That’s exactly what Rick Carlisle has done in Indiana. That’s why Toppin is posting career-highs in scoring, rebounding, assists, field goal percentage and three-point percentage. And while Thibodeau didn’t trade Toppin — the front office did — it’s now on Knicks management to ensure those kinds of miscalculations don’t continue.

Because if the Knicks want to build a contender without burning through future assets, they’ll need to invest in what they already have — and hire a coach who can bring the best out of every name on the roster.

Nnaji in NY

Nnaji is making his move.

The 20-year-old’s representatives have reportedly informed Euroleague club Barcelona of his intent to leave and pursue an NBA career, and he’s currently in New York working out with the Knicks at their Tarrytown training facility.

Drafted 31st overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, Nnaji is a physical specimen — a seven-footer with a 7-7 wingspan and a 9-4 standing reach. The Knicks acquired his rights as part of the Towns trade and are now evaluating whether he can contribute to a front court in need of depth.

With Precious Achiuwa unlikely to return, and only Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and rookie Ariel Hukporti penciled into the rotation, there’s an opportunity for Nnaji to earn a roster spot — and potentially real minutes — if he proves ready.

He averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds last season for Girona and is expected to join the Knicks’ Summer League squad in Las Vegas.

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