Obi Toppin’s future as a member of the New York Knicks was up in the air this summer. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Toppin simply wasn’t able to consistently squeeze into Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, and as such his name was popular in the trade rumors surrounding the Knicks.
On Saturday afternoon, the Knicks were finally able to find a business partner for Toppin, and that will send him about an hour and a half away from where he went to college. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that New York and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a deal that will net the Knicks a few more second-round NBA draft picks in their solid war chest.
The Knicks are finalizing the trade to send F Obi Toppin to the Pacers for two future second-round picks, sources told ESPN. The deal gives Toppin the opportunity to play a bigger role in Indiana and piles up more project assets for New York. The deal can’t be done until Thursday. pic.twitter.com/suJPu8dXyM
— Adrien Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
The Pacers have had their fill of talent over the past few days, dating back to when the team selected Jarace Walker out of Houston eighth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. At the start of free agency, that meant to be the team that won the Bruce Brown competition by signing him to a 2-year contract worth $45 million. And now Indiana is turning to the trade market to add even more reinforcements.
Last season, Toppin played 67 games, including five as a member of the starting lineup. He averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.