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Jacob Toppin

Hawks’ Jacob Toppin Undergoes Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

December 8th, 2025 at 5:22pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year forward Jacob Toppin, who is on a two-way contract with the Hawks, will miss the remainder of the 2025/26 season after undergoing surgery on Monday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, the team announced in a press release.

According to the Hawks, Toppin sustained the shoulder injury in a November 29 G League game with the College Park Skyhawks.

After going undrafted out of Kentucky in 2023, Toppin spent most of his first two NBA seasons on a two-way deal with New York. He was waived by the Knicks in early March and quickly caught on with Atlanta, signing with the Hawks a few days later. He re-signed with the Hawks on another two-way contract in July.

Toppin hasn’t played much in the NBA to this point in his career, making 31 total appearances for a total of 131 minutes (4.2 minutes per game). He appeared in five games for Atlanta in ’25/26, averaging just 3.4 MPG.

While his NBA role has been very modest, Toppin has been a productive contributor in the G League. In five games with College Park this season, he filled the stat sheet, averaging 18.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocks in 31.0 minutes per contest, with a shooting slash line of .480/.357/.600.

The 25-year-old averaged 22.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 3.3 APG on .503/.371/.812 shooting in 23 total G League games in ’24/25 (36.6 MPG).

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hawks waive Toppin in the coming days or weeks in order to add a healthy two-way player to the roster. Toppin is the younger brother of Pacers forward Obi Toppin, who is also dealing with a long-term injury — he underwent foot surgery at the end of October and is expected to be out until at least the start of February.

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Southeast Notes: Simpson, Ware, Toppin, Magic Coaches

July 13th, 2025 at 9:58pm CST by Eli Cohen

Hornets guard KJ Simpson is embracing his role as the primary initiator on Charlotte’s Summer League team after missing the event as a rookie a year ago, writes Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. The Hornets’ roster is loaded with guards, and Simpson is aware he needs to become more consistent with his offense if he wants to find a role with the team this season.

“I know I’m a way better shooter and way better efficient scorer than I was during the season,” Simpson said. “Just being more efficient, taking better shots and better decision making, that can always improve.”

Simpson also knows he has to be a pest defensively if he wants to earn his place on the court. One player he’s looking to for inspiration is T.J. McConnell, whose game tape he has been watching for inspiration — that includes the Pacers guard’s tendency to pick up full-court defensively.

“T.J. is a good example that he just goes out there heart over height, and I just want to go out there and prove I can do the same thing at that same level,” Simpson said.

We have more from around the Southeast division:

  • After being called out by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra for his lackluster Summer League start and overall approach, second-year big man Kel’el Ware responded in a major way on Sunday evening, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ware racked up 21 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in his fourth Summer League outing while making two of three three-point shots, though Jackson notes that more is still needed in terms of attention to detail on the defensive glass and transition defense. “He’s the coach and he has that trust in me and he wants to see me be the best I can be,” Ware said after the game. “So I took it as motivation.” Summer League coach Eric Glass liked what he saw from Ware. “When he comes in with that focus and that intensity, the rest of his game blossoms,” Glass said. “He has that potential and we want to see him do it again tomorrow.”
  • Jacob Toppin is hoping to build off a strong start to Summer League with the Hawks, writes Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Toppin’s speed and athleticism with the ball has stood out during his play, and Summer League coach Bryan Bailey has noticed. “Obviously, his size, his length and ability to shoot the ball,” Bailey said. “We even saw (Friday) in the game, just in the fourth quarter, he can push the ball. He can dribble. So we got him as a weapon in transition. Just keep developing those things.” The Hawks have a roster loaded with athletic wings, but Toppin knows what he needs to do to prove himself worth the investment. “On the defensive end, being a menace, being able to guard one of four, keeping guys in front,” he said. “Offensively, being that athletic wing who’s going to run the floor space, make open shots and stuff like that.”
  • Losing in the first round for a second consecutive season helped convince Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley that additional help was needed, not just on the roster, but on the coaching staff as well, writes Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. That led the team to hire God Shammgod and former Bucks’ assistant Joe Prunty. “What they bring is experience,” Mosley said. “They bring a level of player relationship that they’ve developed over time throughout being in the league all these years. For our staff, they continue that connectivity that we have.” Mosley has worked with both coaches before – Shammgod in Dallas and Prunty in Cleveland – and is excited about what the duo can bring to the team. “Sham, more on the coaching side, being able to dissect some of the offense, the individual movement and plays of guys,” Mosley said. “Joe’s going to be tasked more with the offensive focus, offensive flow of the way in which we’re playing.”
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Hawks Re-Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Contract

July 10th, 2025 at 8:03pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Hawks have re-signed Jacob Toppin to a two-way contract, according to a team release. Atlanta originally signed Toppin to a two-way deal in March.

The Kentucky alum and younger brother of Pacers forward Obi Toppin played his first season-and-a-half on a two-way deal with the Knicks before being waived on March 1. He was picked up just three days later by Atlanta.

Jacob Toppin has 26 games of NBA experience, averaging 1.4 points in those games. In his one and only game with Atlanta, he scored 17 points. He has played much more at the G League level, averaging 19.4 points in 65 career NBAGL games.

With Toppin and Eli Ndiaye signed to two-way contracts, the Hawks have one opening left. That spot is reportedly going to Lamont Butler, though his deal hasn’t been finalized yet.

Once that agreement is complete, the team will have no more two-way spots to offer, but because those contracts aren’t guaranteed, the Hawks could swap out one or more of those players ahead of or during the season if they like.

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Suns’ Gillepsie, Lakers’ Koloko Among Two-Way Players Receiving QOs

June 29th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

A series of players who finished the 2024/25 season on two-way contracts have received qualifying offers from their respective teams, making them free agents, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. Those players are as follows (all links go to Twitter):

In each case, the player’s qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal, with a small portion (approximately $85K) guaranteed.

While a rival team could technically sign any of these players to an offer sheet during free agency, we essentially never see that happen with two-way free agents. Most of them end up either accepting their two-way QOs or agreeing to new standard contracts with their current teams.

Gillespie, who turned 26 on Wednesday, is among the players who made a strong case for a promotion to a standard contract this past season. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game for Phoenix across 33 appearances (nine starts) and made 43.3% of his three-point tries.

Koloko (2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 37 games), Vukcevic (9.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and .496/.373/.776 shooting in 35 games), and Wallace (5.4 PPG and 2.6 APG in 31 games) also played rotation minutes for their respective clubs in 2024/25.

Sunday is the deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to players who are eligible for restricted free agency.

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Hawks Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Contract

March 4th, 2025 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

6:46pm: The signing is official, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.

4:21pm: The Hawks are filling their open two-way slot by signing second-year forward Jacob Toppin, The Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer tweets.

Toppin became a free agent when the Knicks waived him on Sunday. The 6’9″ Toppin made 16 appearances for New York this season but his minutes were limited — he averaged 0.4 points and 0.7 boards across 3.1 minutes per game.

Toppin posted big numbers for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League. In 11 regular season games, the younger brother of Pacers forward Obi Toppin averaged 25.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per contest.

Toppin went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2023 and had a two-way deal with the Knicks for much of last season. New York re-signed him on a two-way deal in August.

He can be active for as many as 12 games for the remainder of the Hawks’ regular season.

Atlanta created an opening to sign another two-way player by elevating Dominick Barlow to the 15-man roster on a standard, two-year contract. The Hawks opened a spot on the 15-man roster for Barlow by terminating Kevon Harris’10-day deal.

Tuesday night is the deadline for teams to sign two-way players.

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Knicks Cut Matt Ryan, Jacob Toppin

March 2nd, 2025 at 2:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Knicks have announced that they’ve waived a pair of players on two-way contracts, wing Matt Ryan and forward Jacob Toppin (Twitter link).

With these moves, only swingman Kevin McCullar remains among the club’s two-way players.

As Ian Begley of SNY.tv observes (via Twitter), New York also still has an open standard roster spot. Several intriguing veteran options remain available for the contending Knicks in free agency and the G League.

Ryan, a 6’6″ swingman, appeared in 19 regular season games for New York this season but played very sparingly, logging just 68 total minutes. He had per-game averages of 1.5 points and 0.4 rebounds in 3.6 minutes.

Ryan has also logged time with Boston, the Lakers, Minnesota and New Orleans since 2021/22. Through 82 NBA games over his four-year career, he is averaging 3.7 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Valued as a floor-spacing wing, he is a career 40.2% long-range sniper on 2.4 triple tries per night.

The 6’9″ Toppin made even less of a dent at the NBA level than Ryan this season. In 16 appearances for New York, the second-year forward averaged 0.4 points and 0.7 boards across 3.1 minutes per game.

That said, Toppin did show promise with the Westchester Knicks. In 11 regular season G League games this year, the younger brother of Pacers forward Obi Toppin averaged 25.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals per contest.

It’s worth noting that two-way contracts are only available to players who are in their first four years in the NBA, so several players rumored to be on the Knicks’ radar for their standard roster spot, like T.J. Warren, Chuma Okeke, Moses Brown, would not be two-way eligible.

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Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit

February 1st, 2025 at 5:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.

For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.

Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.

Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.

Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:

  • Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
  • Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
  • Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining. He has been mentioned as a candidate for a promotion.
  • Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
  • Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.

Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:

  • Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to promote Jones to the standard roster.
  • Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
  • Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.
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Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit

January 1st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.

For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.

Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.

Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.

Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:

  • Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
  • Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
  • Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining.
  • Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
  • Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.

Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:

  • Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to keep Jones on the roster.
  • Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
  • Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.
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Knicks Re-Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Deal

August 14th, 2024 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agent forward Jacob Toppin is back under contract with the Knicks, according to the team, which announced today in a press release (Twitter link) that he has been re-signed to a two-way contract.

New York made Toppin a restricted free agent by issuing him a two-way qualifying offer after he finished the 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with the club. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the 24-year-old simply accepted that qualifying offer.

The younger brother of former Knicks forward Obi Toppin, Jacob signed a two-way contract with the organization last July after going undrafted out of Kentucky. He spent nearly his entire season with New York. He had his contract converted to a 10-day deal in February, then returned on a new two-way contract after those 10 days were up.

Toppin played sparingly at the NBA level, appearing in just nine games for New York, but he was a key contributor for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, averaging 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 35.1 minutes per game across 42 Showcase Cup and regular season contests. He registered a shooting line of .455/.323/.781.

Toppin also participated in the 2024 dunk contest, though he was eliminated before the final round.

The Knicks have filled all three of their two-way slots, with Toppin joining Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar.

There are now just two restricted free agents left on the market, and both are Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro (standard) and Emoni Bates (two-way).

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Four NBA Restricted Free Agents Still Available

July 27th, 2024 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly four weeks into the NBA’s 2024/25 league year, there are only four restricted free agents who have yet to reach agreements on new deals, including just one who is coming off a standard contract.

Here are the unsigned RFAs:

There are still a couple teams with cap room available, so one of those teams – the Pistons and Jazz – could make life difficult for the Cavaliers by giving Okoro an offer sheet in that $12-15MM range, but there has been no indication either club plans to do so. A sign-and-trade to an over-the-cap team is another possibility, and Fedor confirmed in a subscriber-only story for Cleveland.com that the Cavs have had talks with some possible trade partners about a deal, but it doesn’t sound like any real progress has been made on that front.

Barring a late-summer push from a new suitor, Okoro may ultimately have to decide whether he wants to earn a higher salary in 2024/25 and bet on himself again as an unrestricted free agent in 2025 or if he prefers the security of a multiyear deal that would pay him less in year one.

Okoro’s leverage is limited, but even his “worst-case” scenario would be a guaranteed $11.8MM salary for next season. Bates, Toppin, and Tshiebwe have far less leverage and a far less appealing set of choices.

Of the 15 players who received two-way qualifying offers this offseason, only one (Vit Krejci of the Hawks) has agreed to a standard contract. Two others had their QOs withdrawn, while nine have returned to their respective teams on new two-way deals. The odds are good that the final three – Bates, Toppin, and Tshiebwe – will eventually have to accept two-way contracts too.

The deadline for teams to unilaterally withdraw a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent passed on July 13, so Bates, Toppin, and Tshiebwe aren’t facing any sort of short-term deadline on whether or not to accept their two-way offers. They can afford to wait a little longer to make their decisions.

Still, even if they accept their respective qualifying offers, those one-year deals come with few assurances. A two-way player can earn a $578,577 salary over the course of the 2024/25 season, but a qualifying offer is only partially guaranteed for $77,500.

The Cavaliers currently have three open two-way slots, while the Knicks have two, so I think Bates and Toppin would be well-positioned to stick around into the regular season if they accept their QOs.

Tshiebwe’s outlook is less clear. Within the last 24 hours, the Pacers filled two of their three two-way openings by signing Quenton Jackson and Tristen Newton. Tshiebwe could take the third slot, but Indiana still has an unsigned second-round pick (Enrique Freeman) who may be the frontrunner for that final two-way, as Dustin Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star.

Tshiebwe was an All-NBA G League first-teamer and the G League Rookie of the Year this past season, so I expect he’d draw two-way interest from other teams if the Pacers determine they don’t have room for him.

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