NBA Rumors: Obi Toppin, Pacers Agree to 4-Year, $60M Contract Before Free Agency 2024
Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRT
Featured Columnist IVJune 30, 2024
Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers are running it back.
The team reportedly signed Toppin to a four-year, $60 million deal that will keep him out of restricted free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnESPN Sources: Restricted free agent F Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60 million contract to stay with the Indiana Pacers. Toppin emerged as a top bench contributor for the Eastern Conference finalists. <a href="https://t.co/sJP8q5prJe">pic.twitter.com/sJP8q5prJe</a>
Toppin, 26, served as a solid role player for the Pacers, averaging career bests in points (10.3 PPG), rebounds (3.9 RPG), field-goal percentage (57.3 percent) and three-point shooting (40.3 percent) in the 2023-24 campaign.
He also appeared in all 82 games (28 starts), remaining a reliable part of the rotation throughout the season.
While Toppin has never quite lived up to the expectations that came with being the No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 NBA draft, his size, athleticism and recent ability to space the floor made him a valuable contributor in Indiana.
Once the Pacers traded Buddy Hield at the trade deadline—moving off another player who would have needed to be re-signed in free agency this summer—it seemed likely that the Pacers would look to retain both Pascal Siakam and Toppin.
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42Before the trade, Philadelphia had 6 seconds available to move in a deal.<br><br>They keep all 3 firsts (+2 this summer), improve the roster and keep flexibility this offseason.<br><br>Indiana was pressed against the luxury tax in 2024-25 if they retained Hield and Obi Toppin.
Toppin, at least, is back. For a young Pacers team that took promising steps last season, keeping the majority of the core together, if possible, made sense.
