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The New York Knicks got fleeced in the Obi Toppin trade after the details of the second-round picks they received from Indiana emerged on Thursday, July 6.
The Knicks officially announced the trade the following day.
“They are acquiring Toppin from the Knicks in exchange for the least favorable of the Pacers and Suns’ 2028 second-round picks as well as the least favorable of the Pacers’ and Wizards’ 2029 second-round picks,” according to a report from the Indianapolis Star.
It was an underwhelming package for the Knicks’ former lottery pick and their first rookie selection under team president Leon Rose.
Toppin, who never got to blossom in limited opportunities in New York behind two-time All-Star Julius Randle, has already joined his new team in Las Vegas.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle views Toppin as a perfect fit in Indiana alongside their All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and newly-acquired Bruce Brown from the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
“One of the statistics we happened upon — we have another deal that’s in the works that we can’t really talk about — but the rumored player in that deal [Toppin] is the No. 1 player in effective field-goal percentage in transition,” Carlisle said via New York Daily News. “And No. 2 is Tyrese [Haliburton]. And No. 3 is Bruce Brown. So our management team has done a great job of adding a couple of great pieces to what our identity is — a fast team.”
Toppin is expected to start for the Pacers at power forward. He could make a run at the Most Improved Player award, which Randle won in 2021 that marked his rise to an All-Star status and signaling the start of the end of Toppin in New York.
His pedestrian numbers — 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.7 minutes off the bench — with the Knicks are expected to improve dramatically at Indiana.
He showed a glimpse of what is to come in 15 spot starts for the Knicks, averaging 20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Isaiah Roby to Fill Obi Toppin’s Shoes
On Thursday, Hoosphype’s Michael Scotto reported that Isaiah Roby, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Knicks late last season, is being groomed to fill in Obi Toppin’s shoes.
“With Toppin’s departure and not landing a power forward in free agency like [Yuta] Watanabe, the Knicks currently plan to give Isaiah Roby an opportunity as the primary backup forward to Julius Randle, HoopsHype has learned. Josh Hart is also expected to get some minutes as a small-ball power forward,” Scotto wrote.
The 6-foot-8 Robby played a combined 151 games, including 64 starts across four seasons — three with Oklahoma City and last season with the San Antonio Spurs. In 42 games with the Spurs last season, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11.3 minutes off the bench.
Steve Kerr to Lean Heavily on Jalen Brunson
Team USA head coach will rely heavily on Jalen Brunson as he coaches a star-less Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in August.
“I will definitely go into this with a vision of Jalen Brunson taking on a pretty big role given the way he plays, his success at the FIBA level in past tournaments, Kerr said in a Zoom call with reporters on Friday.
Brunson was the 2015 FIBA U-19 World Cup MVP.
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