ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the deal and wrote on Twitter it can’t be completed until Thursday when teams can officially sign free agents.
Ian Begley, a reporter covering the Knicks for SNYtv, wrote of the deal on Twitter: “Told Indiana is excited about getting a young, athletic player in Obi Toppin who fits the timeline of Tyrese Halliburton (and) Ben Mathurin and could be a complementary piece on the front line with Myles Turner. I’m sure Toppin is thrilled about the opportunity in Indy.”
Toppin will join a franchise in Indiana that finished 35-47 last season and has suffered three straight losing seasons.
Toppin, 25, struggled to find consistent playing time throughout his three seasons with the Knicks. He averaged 14.7 minutes in 201 games over the three seasons and saw his minutes fall from 17.1 per game in his second season to 15.7 in his third.
Toppin averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds last season and 7.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in his three seasons in New York.
Toppin did have some memorable moments in his Knicks career. He heard his name chanted at Madison Square Garden during a playoff victory in 2021. He won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2022. Toppin closed his second season with the New York Knicks by scoring a career-high 42 points.
Toppin was an unranked recruit when he committed to Dayton in the spring of 2017. He became the consensus national player of the year in 2020 while leading the Flyers a 29-2 season and a No. 3 national ranking.
Toppin has remained close to the program. He has held basketball camps for kids in Dayton the last two years and will do so again this August. He sat behind the Red Scare’s bench during The Basketball Tournament at UD Arena last season and sat behind the bench during Dayton’s game at Fordham last season.
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