The New York Knicks were expected to make a splash this off-season, and after selecting Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley in the 2020 NBA draft, there were reports of GM Leon rose targeting max contract point guards.
The Knicks were reportedly interested in consuming a max contract, similar to the likes of Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook, but it seems as if they are taking a different approach toward their rebuild.
The Knicks have sat quietly by wild players like Fred VanVleet sign record-breaking deals, consuming draft picks and eating unfavorable contracts to acquire assets in the process. This method clearly has future written all over it, as the Knicks continue to develop their youth and build around players like RJ Barrett and now Toppin.
Toppin was a star for Dayton in 2019, averaging 20 points per game, 2.2 assists, and 7.6 overall rebounds. He shot .633 from the field and .390 from beyond the arc. In fact, the strength of his schedule in college increased in his second year with Dayton, but he still managed to put up vastly superior numbers.
The Ossining, New York native, has won a ton of different accolades throughout his college and career. As a part of the Atlantic 10 conference, Toppin won the All-A-10 award twice, the Naismith Award, the Wooden Award, and the AP-POY award.
He is a massive power forward who can dominate in the trenches and bully opposing defenders. He is not a primary shooter, something the Knicks lack severely, but he is a solid player with plenty of potential left to extract.
The New York Knicks are thinking long term:
It is clear that the Knicks favor focusing on their youth and preparing for the long term rather than investing significant money with an unproven team. Ultimately, their goal is to attack bigger names in free agency, as this off-season didn’t offer max talent, as VanVleet was the best PG available, and many believed investing big money would be a mistake.
The Knicks have already started acquiring draft picks for the 2023 off-season, so it is possible they try and make a move down the road on a different player. Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a free agent next year, a player, the Knicks, could throw the kitchen sink at.
The reality of their process is simple — the Knicks will likely be developing the foundation of their rebuild during the 2020-21 season, and that’s the right thing to do as they prepare their cap for bigger and better things. Making rash decisions and consuming big contracts in a win-now move would be malpractice, so Rose’s desire to bring in one-year deals tells the story in itself.