Pacers Set to Sign Famed Former Knick to Long-Term Deal
Former New York Knicks hopeful Obi Toppin has found a home among the Hoosiers.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Toppin is set to sign a four-year, $60 million contract with the Indiana Pacers. The report comes one week short of the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent Toppin from Manhattan to Indianapolis.
Toppin remains a bit of a sore point in an otherwise strong start to the decade for the Knicks: he was chosen with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Dayton but never found a lasting role in head coach Tom Thibodeau's ironclad rotations. New York got back two future second-round picks (Indiana's least favorable in the round in 2028 and 2029 respectively) for Toppin, who just wrapped up his fourth NBA season.
Though Toppin struggled at the start of the season as an Indiana starter, he later developed into a strong second unit contributor after the arrival of Pascal Siakam. Toppin would go onto appear in all 82 games (28 starts) and post career-bests in scoring (10.3), minutes (21.1), rebounds (3.9), field goal percentage (57.3) and three-point field goal percentage (40.3).
He was able to keep the same pace (pun intended) in Indiana's 17-game run to the Eastern Conference Finals, notably averaging 9.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in the seven-game conference semifinal victory over his original NBA employers. Toppin notably put up a 20-point showing in Game 2 of the series at Madison Square Garden before going 6-of-11 from the field in Game 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Toppin continues to be repped by Creative Artists Agency, the group formerly overseen by current Knicks president Leon Rose. Wojnarowski noted that Rose's son Sam partly helped negotiate the new deal, which runs through the 2028-29 campaign.
Toppin will continue to linger in the Knicks' organization as a surname: Knicks insider Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that the team would extend a two-way qualifying offer to Toppin's younger brother Jacob earlier this week.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks