The Indiana Pacers and forward Obi Toppin have agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. While Toppin was going to be an unrestricted free agent, the two sides were able to get their business done early thanks to a new rule in the collective bargaining agreement that allows teams to negotiate with their own free agents once the Finals ended. Teams can negotiate with any free agent starting Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET.
Toppin, who spent his first three seasons in the league with the New York Knicks, was traded to the Pacers last summer. His first campaign in Indianapolis was a great success, as he averaged 10.3 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 57.3% from the field, including 40.3% from behind the 3-point arc. All of those marks were career-highs. In the process he became the first qualified player in NBA history to shoot at least 70% on 2-pointers and 40% on 3-pointers.
The Pacers' extremely high-paced style accentuated Toppin's athleticism and willingness to run the floor, and he became a favorite target for Tyrese Haliburton and TJ McConnell. Despite playing just 21 minutes per game, Toppin threw down 101 dunks last season, which ranked 22nd in the league, including a number of highlight-reel slams. Haliburton told CBS Sports that his favorite pass he threw all season was a lob to Toppin against the Charlotte Hornets.
Thanks in large part to Toppin, the Pacers' bench units averaged 46.8 points and shot 51.3% from the field, both of which ranked first in the league. Their reserves' ability to push the pace, move the ball and score seemingly at will was a major reason the Pacers won 12 more games than they did last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Once there, they took down the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks to make a surprise run to the Eastern Conference finals. Though they were swept by the Boston Celtics in that round, they arguably gave the eventual champions their hardest test of the postseason, with four of the losses coming by five points or less. During the playoffs, Toppin kept up his production and averaged 10.9 points and 4.4 rebounds on 54.1/35.7/76.0 splits.
