Knicks & Pacers Discussing Obi Toppin Trade; Who Would NY Get Back?

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers have reportedly discussed a trade that would send polarizing first-round pick Obi Toppin back to the Midwest.

The view from the Toppin is taking on a new lens.

Per Ian Begley of SNY, the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers have "touched base" on a trade headlined by sending Obi Toppin to Indianapolis. Begley hints that the Knicks are mostly looking to unload the $6,8 million that Toppin is due next season and invest in Indiana's draft cabinet. The Pacers don't have multiple first-round picks in any upcoming drafts, though they own multiple second-rounders in 2025.

Moving to Indiana would likely give Toppin the minutes many have yearned to see him play. Under head coach Tom Thibodeau in New York, Toppin has averaged only 14.7 minutes a game in his three years as a Knick, his potential breakout partially blocked by the continued emergence of Julius Randle. Even with the addition of his brother Jacob to the team's Summer League roster, Toppin's future is in question, especially after rumors of a rift between him and Thibodeau reportedly surfaced during the Knicks' playoff run.

This year even saw Toppin endure slight dips in the major statistical categories, playing 15.7 minutes a game and averaging 7.4 points (respectively down from 17.1 and 9.0). Toppin did come up big when Randle missed the final stages of this regular season, tallying 21.8 points a contest and shooting over 58 percent from the field over the last five games, helping the Knicks secure the fifth seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket. 

With the Pacers enduring a bit of a rebuild (kept out of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons), Toppin would have relatively consequence-free settings. Indiana's current situation at power forward is currently headlined by Oshae Brissett. Indiana has already taken in one of the Knicks' free agency targets in former Denver Nugget Bruce Brown. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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