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 has just not been able to consistently crack into the rotation for Tom Thibodeau, and as such, his name was a popular one in trade rumours surrounding the Knicks.
On Saturday afternoon, the Knicks were finally able to find a trade partner for Toppin, and it’ll send him about an hour and a half away from where he went to college. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that New York and the Indiana Pacers came to terms on a deal that will land the Knicks a few more second-round NBA Draft picks in their robust war chest of assets.
Knicks are finalizing trade to send F Obi Toppin to the Pacers for two future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Deal gives Toppin an opportunity to play a more significant role in Indiana and stacks up more draft assets for New York. Deal can’t be completed until Thursday. pic.twitter.com/suJPu8dXyM
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
The Pacers have been loading up on talent over the last 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 being the team that won the Bruce Brown sweepstakes by bringing him on board with a 2-year deal worth $45 million. And now, Indiana is turning to the trade market to add even more reinforcements.
Last season, Toppin appeared in 67 games, with five of them coming as a member of the starting lineup. He averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.