Trade Him: We Apparently Have Leaked Audio Of Obi Toppin Getting Into A 'Heated Argument' With Coaches During The Playoffs And Teammates Having To Separate Them

Somehow there's even leaked audio: 

I say trade him in the headline because that's what I want the Knicks to do. This isn't me caring that he got into a heated argument. Good. I want my guys to be pissed off that they are losing to the Heat. But Obi's role on the Knicks is what it is. As much as people want to bitch and moan about Julius Randle, he's been a two time All-NBA player and is flat out better than Obi. Obi is an ideal bench guy. Energy, can come in and fly around but also fucks up quite a bit, especially defensively. 

There's a role for him on the Knicks and in the league, but it's clear the Knicks are looking at making a move. It's basically a debate on who you want to trade between him, Quickley and Grimes. Give me the guards. I also think the two guards are just better players than Obi. Fred Katz sort of lays out the contract situation here: 

[Source] - Once July rolls around, the 24-year-old can tack up to five more years onto his deal, a new contract that would begin in the 2024-25 season. 

Ten of the 15 people polled for this story valued Toppin within shouting distance of the $12.2 million midlevel exception. Those 10 ranged from $10 million to $15 million a year. The largest suggested contract (in terms of both total money and average annual value) came from one person who deemed $60 million over four seasons fair.

It basically comes down to two things if you're paying him that much money as Fred (and anyone who watches the Knicks) points out. 1) If Julius is still a Knick, Obi isn't getting more minutes on a regular basis and 2) why pay him that much money if he's a 15 minute per game guy. I don't think Randle gets traded, at least not any time soon. If that wasn't the case then you keep Obi and figure it out. 

Again, I don't have a problem with the freak out. It's part of sports. Every single team goes through something like this, just whether or not it gets reported. But if Obi wants to play more and wants his money, trade him. There are plenty of teams that would take Obi Toppin and that's fine. Sometimes you gotta cut bait with fan favorites. This is one of those times.