Former Flyer Obi Toppin signs rookie contract with Knicks

Toppin could earn $5,348,280 in his third season and $6,803,012 in his fourth season. Teams have the option to extend contracts during those seasons. Players become restricted free agents after their fourth season. In all, Toppin could earn as much as $22.1 million in his first four years.

Toppin joins a team that finished 21-45 last season. The Knicks have suffered seven straight losing seasons. Among his new teammates are two former Kentucky Wildcats: Julius Randle and Kevin Knox. Toppin’s brother Jacob plays at Kentucky after transferring from Rhode Island.

Toppin will wear No. 1 with the Knicks. That was also his number at Dayton.

Toppin won’t have to wait long for his NBA debut. The Knicks begin training camp Dec. 1. Preseason games will take place Dec. 11-19, and the regular season begins Dec. 22.

Teams will play a 72-game schedule instead of the normal 80 games. The first half of the schedule will be announced Dec. 1. The second half of the schedule will be released late in the first half of the season.

Toppin has used the seventh months since the end of his college career preparing his body for the NBA and trying to improve his defense.

“I’m in the weight room every Monday, Wednesday and Friday working on my body,” Toppin told TheRinger.com last week. “A lot of NBA guys have been coming through the gym: Jalen Brunson; Kevin Knox; Terrance Jones; and even some draftees. Having those different styles of playing, playing against those guys has been helping me a lot, especially for defense. Having to play some bigs, having to play some guards, guarding a lot of the guards has helped me because of how fast and shifty they are. I have to be able to keep up. If not, I’ll be exposed. I’ve been working on that a lot, and I feel I’m going to prove a lot of people who think I can’t play defense wrong.”

Preseason honor: Dayton senior guard Jalen Crutcher was one of 20 players named Monday to the preseason watch list for the National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year Award, which Toppin won last year.

Also on the list are: Brandon Boston Jr., Kentucky (G-Fr.); Garrison Brooks, North Carolina (F-Sr.); Jared Butler, Baylor (G-Jr.); Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State (G-Fr.); Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (G-Jr.); Marcus Garrett, Kansas (G-Sr.); Luka Garza, Iowa (C-Sr.); Collin Gillespie, Villanova (G-Sr.); Sam Hauser, Virginia (F-R-Sr.); Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (F-So.); Keyontae Johnson, Florida (F-Jr.); Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (F-Sr.); Remy Martin, Arizona State (G-Sr.); Evan Mobley, USC (F-Fr.); Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova (F-So.); Oscar Tshiebwe, West Virginia (F-So.); Trendon Watford, LSU (F-So.); McKinley Wright IV, Colorado (G-Sr.); and Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton (G-Jr.).