Obi Toppin's return will squeeze someone out of Knicks' rotation

TORONTO — Obi Toppin spent Thursday morning assigned to the G League Westchester Knicks, getting the five-on-five practice session he needed as a next step before heading to the airport to join the Knicks for the flight to Toronto, where he could make his return to game action Friday.

And when he returns, it will create a question for Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks: Just how does the team fit Toppin into a rotation that has compiled an 11-5 record in the last 16 games — 14 without him — without throwing off the things that have worked so well?

Thibodeau made it clear Wednesday that Toppin will be a part of the nine-man rotation the coach favors. So if he’s in, who’s out?

Jericho Sims has been the real addition, playing as the backup power forward defensively and at center on the offensive end, often pairing with Isaiah Hartenstein in the frontcourt.

“We’ll see,” Thibodeau said. “And again, there’s gotta be flexibility there. So we’ll get there, but obviously we want Obi back. The team has to be put first. Everyone has to sacrifice for the team. And for some guys, it’s starting; some guys, it’s shots; some guys, they may not be in the rotation. But things can change very quickly. And right now, we have people, we have a nine-man rotation, and we could have an injury, we could have foul trouble, we could have illness. It has to be fluid."

The timing is interesting for other reasons. Thursday marked the start of the period in which teams can sign players to a 10-day contract. That didn't matter on Thursday because the Knicks have a completely full roster. But on Friday, the contracts for Ryan Arcidiacano and Svi Mykhailiuk become guaranteed, meaning the team needs to decide whether it wants to commit those roster spots (and money) to them.

“Obviously those decisions, that’ll be Leon [Rose], the front office,” Thibodeau said. “We’ll all sit down and give input. As far as I’m concerned, from my end both guys have been terrific. They’re invaluable to us. Just the way their attitude and approach, whether it’s practice, the game, they’re fully engaged. They make things go well. They can fill in. They bring energy every day."

For the Knicks,  everything is about assets: players, draft picks, contracts that can be used for what remains the ultimate goal, to land a star to lift the team to another level. But they find themselves in a curious spot with a 21-18 record, good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Their  willingness to make Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish available has been clear and they will listen on Immanuel Quickley, too; like Toppin, he is eligible for a contract extension in the summer. But Quickley has provided a versatile presence off the bench and lately in the starting lineup, so dealing him for future assets — draft picks — would set back the playoff chase this season.

In the summer, the Knicks made RJ Barrett available in a potential deal for Donovan Mitchell, indicating that perhaps anyone other than Jalen Brunson is available.

Opposite the Knicks on Friday will be a disappointing Raptors team (16-21) that has been rumored to be willing to shop some of its young, athletic players. The only certainty for the Knicks is that between now and the Feb. 9 trade deadline, there will be a lot of rumors.

  Notes & quotes: The first returns on fan voting for the All-Star team were announced Thursday, and the only Knicks player among the top 10 at guard or the frontcourt was Derrick Rose, who ranked ninth among guards. Fan voting, which is weighted at 50% of the total, with media and coaches each accounting for 25%, continues until Jan. 21.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.