Ranking the 8 best players who didn't sign rookie extensions 

5. Obi Toppin, Indiana Pacers

Placing Obi Toppin above Isaac Okoro is a bet on Toppin making the most of his opportunity now that he’s in Indiana. For the first three seasons of his career, Toppin came off the bench in support of Julius Randle. While some Knicks fans bemoaned his usage, Randle made two All-NBA teams over that spell. Sometimes, lineup decisions are easy, and playing an All-NBA power forward over Toppin was one of those. 

Toppin’s lack of minutes in his first three years put the Knicks and him in a difficult position. On a different team, he would have played more, and negotiations over his next contract would have been relatively easy. Instead, he had to come off the bench and was incapable of building up a resume commensurate with his talent. 

Following a trade to the Indiana Pacers, Toppin has a chance to prove he’s an NBA-level starter and is in one of the best possible environments to flourish. Tyrese Haliburton is maybe the best young point guard in the league, and he should feast on a steady diet of transition opportunities where his impressive vertical athleticism plays up. He’ll also be stationed next to Myles Turner, who can help on the defensive end, and more importantly, is a good enough floor spacer to allow Toppin to get a sizable share of pick-and-roll roll man possessions. 

Over the past two seasons, Toppin has averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds on 63.2 percent shooting on 2s per 36 minutes. Even with below-average defense, that’s an incredibly valuable player. The combination of Indiana’s up-tempo offense and Haliburton’s passing mastery should let Toppin come close to reaching those marks over a much larger minute load. Toppin isn’t a perfect player, but he’s in the right environment to make the most of his gifts, and there's every chance it leads to a much better payday than if he continued to be an overqualified backup to Julius Randle.