NBA Rumors: Obi Toppin Trade Discussed by Pacers; Andrew Nembhard Deal Unlikely
January 31, 2025
The surging Indiana Pacers have made themselves an interesting team to watch leading up to the NBA trade deadline, but they are unlikely to deal from their current top seven players if there's a move to be made.
Per The Athletic's Fred Katz, Obi Toppin's name has come up in discussions between the Pacers and opposing teams, but there's not "much traction" in those talks at this point.
Katz also noted Andrew Nembhard is a player opposing teams are very interested in, but the Pacers aren't interested in dealing him right now.
The offseason seems more likely when we will see the Pacers look to make moves. They could be pushing up against the tax threshold with $222.8 million in cap allocations for the 2025-26 season.
Paying the tax is not something Pacers governor Herb Simon is accustomed to doing. Katz wrote they haven't operated in the luxury tax since 2005 "when salaries were a fraction of what they are today and rules for tax teams were more manageable."
This suggests that there could be roster changes in Indiana after this season. It could also limit any potential moves the team makes before the trade deadline since they are operating just $147,335 under the threshold right now.
Toppin would seem like one of the first players the Pacers look to move. He's in the first season of a four-year, $58 million extension. The 26-year-old is a useful contributor off the bench for head coach Rick Carlisle, but he's not among the most essential players on the roster.
Nembhard absolutely is an essential piece for the Pacers. He's one of their top defenders, while averaging career-highs in scoring average (10.6 points per game) and assists (5.2) this season.
The Pacers gave Nembhard a three-year, $59 million extension last offseason that kicks in with the 2025-26 season.
After a slow start this season, the Pacers are playing more like the team that made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. They have won 11 of their last 14 games and sit in fifth place in the East standings.
