BREAKING: Knicks Trade Obi Toppin to Pacers
He never reached the rank of New York Knicks master, but fans can officially call him Obi-gone.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks and Indiana Pacers are finalizing a deal that will send Obi Toppin to Indianapolis. The Knicks will net back future second-round picks in return for the eighth overall choice in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Wojnarowski notes that the deal can't be made official until Thursday.
Thus ends Toppin's polarizing three-year career with the Knicks, one that will likely inspire debate in the weeks and months to come. Toppin arrived in New York in 2020 out of Dayton, set to take over the Knicks' power forward slot. Born in Brooklyn, Toppin returned to New York City with a plethora of collegiate honors, including a consensus All-American nod as well as the Naismith College Player of the Year Award.
The emergence of two-time All-Star Julius Randle and head coach Tom Thibodeau's preference for veterans partly prevented Toppin from making any headway in the New York rotation. Toppin averaged less than 15 minutes a game in his three years, putting up seven points and three rebounds.
Moving to Indiana should allow Toppin to work on his game and prove his professional worth in relatively consequence-free settings: the Pacers are in the midst of a rebuild after missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons and there should be an opportunity for Toppin to play immediately with Oshae Brissett, the team's primary power forward-type, having moved on to Boston.
Left behind in New York is Toppin's younger brother Jacob, an undrafted free agent who signed a two-way deal with the Knicks and is set to partake in the team's Summer League affairs later this month.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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