Houston Rockets: 3 trades that send Victor Oladipo to the New York Knicks

Houston Rockets and New York Knicks Trade #2

The Knicks had set their sights on selecting Obi Toppin in the 2020 draft and almost threw a party when he was available with the eighth pick. Toppin’s career in New York has gotten off to a slow start and he looks to be out of favor with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.

There is a chance that Toppin is a franchise player but, at the moment, that looks to be more wishful thinking than anything else. Victor Oladipo, on the other hand, would be the best player the Knicks have employed since Carmelo Anthony.

Using Toppin’s potential to snag the certainty that Oladipo would bring would give the Knicks a focal point to continue their rebuild. No matter what Toppin’s upside is, he won’t reach it playing 12.2 minutes a game.

To sweeten the pot and push the deal across the finish line the Knicks will have to deal one of their future first-round picks. The year will be subject to when the Knicks think they can be competitive again and could be as early as 2023 but likely won’t be until 2025 and beyond.

The cost might seem steep for a rebuilding team but the Knicks have two extra first-round picks coming in from the Dallas Mavericks and for a team that simply cannot draft, maybe spending picks for players is a good strategy.

Next: Trade #1