The New York Knicks are trading Obi Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Knicks will acquire two future second-round picks from the Pacers, who signed Tyrese Haliburton to a rookie-scale extension and Bruce Brown in unrestricted free agency on June 30.
Toppin has career averages of 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists. He was behind Julius Randle in the Knicks’ rotation and wanted more playing time.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Obi Toppin, New York Knicks & Indiana Pacers Updates
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, Toppin and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau got into an intense verbal altercation during the 2023 playoffs. The incident happened after the Knicks lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Miami Heat in South Beach.
“According to league sources who were present, once the final buzzer sounded Toppin aired his grievances to Thibodeau,” Katz wrote. “The 24-year-old wants to play, and he wants to win. That evening, neither happened. An intense verbal altercation occurred between the player and coach as the group trekked to the Kaseya Center visiting locker room in Miami. It spilled into the postgame meeting once the doors closed.”
It sounded like Toppin needed a fresh start somewhere and the Pacers are a good fit for him since they have one of the best young point guards in the NBA in Haliburton. The 23-year-old averaged 20.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists this past season while shooting 49.0% from the field, 40.0% from beyond the arc and 87.1% from the free-throw line.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Obi Toppin, New York Knicks & Indiana Pacers Updates
Haliburton recorded 32 double-doubles in 56 games. He will get Toppin a lot of easy looks in the half-court and in transition since he’s a gifted floor general.
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