This type of housekeeping runs counter to how the Knicks operated over the offseason, when their primary focus was the (ultimately failed) acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. Their latest activity suggests they’re more concerned with simplifying numerous logjams peppered up and down the roster.
That makes sense. New York is forever on the superstar prowl, but that trade market doesn’t seem to exist at the moment.
Still, this doesn’t mean the Knicks cannot salvage what’s left of this season by turning over some of the depth chart. One or two biggish names are floating around the ether. And more than that, shipping out problematic contracts and playing-time roadblocks can dramatically improve their immediate and long-term outlooks.
These trade ideas were constructed with this in mind. And the focus won’t necessarily be on shipping out the four names most commonly mentioned. Head coach Tom Thibodeau has already stopped playing Fournier and Rose. So while both will be used throughout this exercise, these deals are geared toward more meaningful changes than just-because transactions.
Myles Turner to the Big Apple*
New York Knicks Receive: Josh Richardson, Terry Taylor, Myles Turner
Indiana Pacers Receive: Evan Fournier, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish, Obi Toppin, Dallas’ 2023 first-round pick (top-10 protection via New York), Detroit’s 2024 second-round pick (via New York)
San Antonio Spurs: Mitchell Robinson*
*Cannot be traded until Jan. 15.
Turner trade hypotheticals ring slightly hallow knowing the Pacers don’t suck and actually might be plain good. But he’s hitting free agency this summer. If Indy isn’t sure he’ll extend now or re-sign later or is unwilling to pony up for his new deal, it behooves the franchise to capitalize on his monster 2022-23 campaign, load up on assets, improve its own draft pick this year and recalibrate for maximum goodness next season.
Building out a two-team deal around Robinson-plus-stuff has some merit. But the Pacers have bigs to develop in Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith, and Robinson is already sort of expensive, with three years and $42.9 million left on his pact.
San Antonio has room for the latter. Not only can it absorb Robinson outright, but Jakob Poeltl’s impending free agency muddies the team’s future at the 5. The Spurs can also afford to keep both. Robinson’s deal is on a declining scale; he’ll be making close to backup-center money in the final year ($13 million). Richardson is on an expiring deal and doesn’t factor into the long haul. Flipping him for a flier on what could be a defensive star isn’t illogical.
Indiana, meanwhile, bags two players in Quickley and Toppin still on their rookie-scale deals. Both are extension-eligible this summer, but the Pacers have more than one-and-a-half seasons to figure out their fit before restricted free agency.
Toppin makes plenty of sense given how fast Indy likes to play—and how well he has shot the three-ball for most of this year. His defense leaves much to be desired, but Jackson and Smith (guarding well!) can help mask certain matchup problems.
Quickley is less of a surefire mainstay. The full-strength Pacers have Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Chris Duarte, T.J. McConnell and Buddy Hield. But the latter two aren’t future building blocks, and Quickley’s defensive moxie will permit Indiana to run out some ultra-small lineups.
Adding Dallas’ first-rounder arms the Pacers with four picks in 2023. That’s too many. But Dallas’ might wind up being the second-most valuable of the bunch, behind only Indy’s own, and team president Kevin Pritchard can always combine multiple selections to move up. Swallowing an extra year of Fournier after this one isn’t a big deal, even with Hield already on the roster. And for as plucky as the Pacers have been, rolling the dice on soon-to-be-restricted-free-agent Cam Reddish deepens an otherwise undersized wing rotation.
Whether the Knicks will accept this opportunity cost is debatable. Turner satisfies Tom Thibodeau’s requirement to always play a rim protector but does so without cramping the floor. He’s also headed for free agency and is bound to make more than Robinson. You only acquire him if you intend to pay him.
Not to be overlooked: New York is exchanging a handful of multiyear commitments—most notably Fournier’s deal—for expiring pacts. And Richardson is a good plug-and-play wing who should encourage Thibs to indulge lineups with smaller 4s.
Punting on Toppin’s future is tough. But he and Randle aren’t both sticking long-term. If moving Randle proves too prohibitive, the Knicks have to weigh the prospect of jettisoning Toppin. And it can’t be superstar-or-bust at this point. Toppin and Quickley are approaching their next contracts. Their market value is going to taper off in the eyes of rebuilding squads like the Pacers.