Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes – New York Knicks
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Indiana Pacers are seeking a first-round pick and a good young player in exchange for Caris LeVert this season.
Not many teams in the league with “good young talents” are going to be pursuing Caris LeVert, leaving options slim for Indiana leading up to the trade deadline. The Cavaliers are definitely a team interested in him, but so are the New York Knicks.
After claiming the 4-seed last season in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are just 23-26 this season and currently out of the playoff picture. Having no identity and no real offensive threats on their roster, the Knicks have really struggled this season and desperately need to pull off a big move at the trade deadline.
They have been unwilling to include any of their young talents in trade talks in the past, but if New York does not add another high-level scorer at the trade deadline, they will miss the playoffs this season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest NBA Trade Rumors Surrounding Pacers; LeVert, Turner
Julius Randle has regressed since his All-Star season last year and RJ Barrett cannot handle the scoring load for this team all by himself, which is why Caris LeVert could really make a huge impact in New York should he be traded there this season.
Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes look like the two best young talents on this Knicks’ roster, outside of Barrett, which is why Indiana could be interested in both of them.
Drafted 8th overall last year, Obi Toppin has barely played in New York and it is hard to see him holding long-term value on this roster with Julius Randle, Taj Gibson and Nerlens Noel all on long-term deals in the frontcourt.
As for Quentin Grimes, the Knicks are very high on his potential and growth this season, but they are not going to put their faith in a rookie to help them reach the playoffs this season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest NBA Trade Rumors Surrounding Pacers; LeVert, Turner
A trade involving Toppin, Grimes, Noel/Gibson and a first-round pick could absolutely get the job done for Caris LeVert this season and the Pacers would probably be more than willing to make this trade in order to build a young core.
However, the Knicks could view this as giving up way too much value, especially since Toppin was a first-round pick last year and Grimes was their first-round pick this season. The Indiana Pacers are in the driver’s seat for a trade like this though, so New York may not have many other options to pursue leading up to the trade deadline.
