The Indiana Pacers are reportedly going after Knicks forward Obi Toppin with New York looking to move him in a trade this offseason.
According to Marc Stein, the Pacers are a leading trade suitor for Obi Toppin.
Toppin will most likely end up getting traded this offseason due to the fact that the Knicks do not want to pay him when his rookie contract is up in the next couple of seasons.
The Knicks likely do not have room for him on the team as they are looking to sign Donte DiVincenzo this offseason. This is after a season where New York struggled to find minutes for the player.
This would also help the Knicks acquire draft picks which could become the final piece of a star trade that they make this offseason or more likely the next offseason.
What would the Pacers look this after trading for Obi Toppin
At the very most due to the fact that Knicks do not have much use for Toppin, the role player would most likely cost a protected first-round pick or a couple of second-round picks.
Indiana just shipped out Chris Duarte since they didn't have enough minutes for the young role player. The Pacers are also looking to make a big move in signing Bruce Brown as well.
Indiana has been looking for a power forward on the trade market and they may have just found the team that could do business with them.
Toppin is not a player who can create offense or produce stellar defense like their other targets but he could be a foundational piece of the Pacers franchise going forward due to the fact that he is a young player.
Having Toppin and Jarace Walker as the two power forwards for the Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton led-offense would be very fun to watch. Indiana is already a fun league pass team but could get even more fun to watch if they were able to land the former dunk champion.
