Obi Toppin averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds for New York last season.
The New York Knicks have finalized a trade to send forward Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, the teams announced.
Pacers receive:
- Obi Toppin
Knicks receive:
- Two second-round picks
we have acquired forward Obi Toppin from the New York Knicks in exchange for two future second-round picks.
WELCOME TO INDIANA, OBI!
🔗 https://t.co/an4QJSaQlG pic.twitter.com/UNID4BJcWu
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 7, 2023
Thank you, Obi. pic.twitter.com/BoU5VZaqNv
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) July 7, 2023
Toppin averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 67 games last season with the Knicks. He had his best game of the 2022-23 season against the Pacers in the regular-season finale, after starting the final five games following Julius Randle’s sprained ankle. Toppin scored a season-high 34 points and tied his season best with seven rebounds in that loss.
The 6-foot-9 forward was the No. 8 pick in the 2020 draft after winning national Player of the Year honors at Dayton. But when that season ended early and his first professional one was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toppin lost out on vital time to expand his skills and earn Thibodeau’s confidence.
He was also stuck playing behind All-Star Randle, so playing time was hard to come by. Toppin made only 15 starts in his three seasons in New York.
Fans desperately wanted more, often chanting his name at Madison Square Garden in hopes of seeing the acrobatic forward who won the 2022 NBA All-Star slam dunk contest. But Toppin never averaged more than about 17 minutes per game. He scored a career-high 9.0 points per game in the 2021-22 season.
He would have been eligible for an extension on his rookie contract, but trading him allows the Knicks to avoid having to make that decision.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
