Knicks could include Obi Toppin in Donovan Mitchell trade

The Knicks look to make a splash in the offseason, and a rumored target is Jazz star All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell — one of the bigger names who could be traded before the season starts. Mitchell is a special talent who has generated plenty of interest from teams across the league.

In any deal for Mitchell, the Knicks have a reservoir of draft picks and prospects. Teams on a full rebuild like the Jazz usually value assets, not veteran players, in a trade.

Tony Jones of The Athletic discussed the potential Mitchell trade to New York in an interview with ESPN 700 recently. He said the Knicks could include power forward Obi Toppin in a trade with Utah.

“I can tell you that the Knicks are amenable to giving the Jazz Obi Toppin, who’s a really young and high-energy, high-ceiling power forward,” Jones explained.

Toppin’s upside for the Jazz

The Knicks took Toppin with the No. 8 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft because they saw untapped potential in him. Toppin was named the Naismith College Player of the Year after averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds in 31.6 minutes over 31 games in the 2019-20 season with Dayton.

The Knicks had high expectations for Toppin, but he has mostly served as a backup to power forward Julius Randle. In 134 games, Toppin has averaged only 14.3 minutes playing time.