NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 03: Obi Toppin #1 of the New York Knicks in action against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on December 03, 2022 in New York City NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Dallas Mavericks defeated the New York Knicks 121-100. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 03: Obi Toppin #1 of the New York Knicks in action against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on December 03, 2022 in New York City NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Dallas Mavericks defeated the New York Knicks 121-100. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Knicks Rumors

Knicks get a sniper but give up Obi Toppin in proposed trade

by Josh Cornelissen
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New York Knicks

Evan Fournier, New York Knicks. (Photo by David Richard/USA TODAY Sports)

Looking at the proposed trade for the Knicks

Malik Beasley of the Utah Jazz leads the league in three-point attempts per 36 minutes, hoisting up 11.5 shots from deep. That aggressive shot-taking has immense gravity on the court and it’s the reason why Beasley is the most coveted shooter on the trade market.

The Knicks have first-round picks in surplus to make a deal for Beasley, but the difficulty becomes the matching salary. To avoid giving up crucial rotation players, this construction allows the Knicks to shed Evan Fournier’s salary and bring Beasley in:

Knicks Get
Malik Beasley
Jazz Get
Evan Fournier
Obi Toppin
2023 first-round pick
2024 second-round pick (via DET)

First reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the deal would give the Jazz draft capital plus a young big in Obi Toppin. They appear to be very open for business on moving veterans like Beasley, and this deal gives them an awful lot of draft capital plus Toppin to both send out Beasley and take on the contract of Fournier.

Next: Why the Knicks do it

<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Knicks Get</div> <div class="info">Malik Beasley</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team b"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz.png"/>
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Jazz Get</div> <div class="info">Evan Fournier</div> <div class="info">Obi Toppin</div> <div class="info">2023 first-round pick</div> <div class="info">2024 second-round pick (via DET)</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>First reported by <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35601501/ahead-trade-deadline-focused-jazz-remind-our-job-listen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&#8217;s Tim MacMahon</a>, the deal would give the Jazz draft capital plus a young big in Obi Toppin. They appear to be very open for business on moving veterans like Beasley, and this deal gives them an awful lot of draft capital plus Toppin to both send out Beasley and take on the contract of Fournier.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Why the Knicks do it </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_138501" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-138501" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F01%2F1244814038.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/01/1244814038.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/01/1244814038-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h2>Why the Knicks would make this trade</h2> <p>The New York Knicks want to position themselves to trade for the next star. To do that, they need to build a team that is ready to win when they get that star — shooting helps with that. Additionally, they need to prepare their books for that move, so shedding Fournier’s contract now sets them up for later.</p> <p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/13/3-possible-trade-deadline-moves-knicks-fans-prepare-toppin/">Losing Obi Toppin hurts</a>, but if the Knicks keep Randle then his role is always going to be minute. On most teams, he can play at the 4 and 5, but on the Knicks, there is a traditional center and a power forward who plays 40 minutes ahead of him. Trading him for value makes sense.</p> <p>Beasley would be able to pair with the defensive-minded backcourt players in the rotation to survive while on the court, and his shooting and high volume of attempts will provide space inside for the Knicks’ scoring stars. If the Knicks can add him without sacrificing their future flexibility, it makes sense.</p> <p>Would this deal happen? It seems very possible, and it’s been discussed already. If so the Jazz and Knicks could both walk away having accomplished their goal.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="4Wy5QP5iIw"><p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/07/ranking-players-linked-knicks-trade-rumors-deadline/">Ranking players linked to the Knicks in trade rumors ahead of deadline</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/knicks-sniper-obi-toppin-proposed-trade-beasley-fournier/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/07/ranking-players-linked-knicks-trade-rumors-deadline/embed/#?secret=4Wy5QP5iIw" data-secret="4Wy5QP5iIw" width="500" height="282" title="“Ranking players linked to the Knicks in trade rumors ahead of deadline” — Daily Knicks" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div><!—pageview_candidate—>">