Does this trade make sense for the New York Knicks?
Obi Toppin is a young player the New York Knicks are really high on, as is Mitchell Robinson at the center position, but Dejounte Murray is more valuable than these players from New York’s perspective for a couple of reasons.
Toppin is always going to be a second-thought for the Knicks as long as Julius Randle is on their roster at the power-forward position and with Robinson being sidelined due to injuries this year, the Knicks were still able to find success and be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference all year long.
They have proven that they do not need Mitchell Robinson on the court to be successful, which is why they could look to trade him while his value is still somewhat high and since he is in the final year of his contract.
Toppin’s value is still high after being drafted in the first-round this past year as well, which is why he holds a lot of weight in this trade.
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Losing both of these two guys, as well as an unknown with the 19th overall pick for an established, young player like Dejounte Murray makes complete sense for the Knicks because he has the potential to continue growing into a very strong point guard.
He may not be on the level yet as some of their rumored free agent targets in Kyle Lowry, Dennis Schroder and Lonzo Ball, but Murray has quickly become one of the biggest “risers” at the point guard position in the league and checks off all the boxes for the Knicks in terms of what they need from their next point guard.
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Dejounte Murray is athletic, he is versatile and most importantly, he can defend at a very high level, which fits the Knicks’ system perfectly. Finding a young point guard that can fit the needs of their team is exactly what the Knicks need to do this offseason and Murray can absolutely be this kind of guy for them.
The Knicks really have nothing to lose from this trade, especially if they are going to look to bring back Nerlens Noel to be their center in free agency, which is why adding Dejounte Murray would be a very strong move by the Knicks this offseason.
