2:06pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
1:01pm: The Pacers haven’t formally announced the deal yet, but their official team Twitter account passed along a tweet from Christmas that depicts him signing his contract.
MONDAY, 9:32am: The final two seasons are partially guaranteed, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM, who hears the deal is for $4.3MM, slightly less than the $4.5MM originally reported (Twitter link)
THURSDAY, 6:14pm: The Pacers and rookie Rakeem Christmas have reached an agreement on a contract, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (on Twitter). The pact is for four-years and $4.5MM, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed, Haynes adds. Christmas was the No. 36 overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft.
Christmas’ draft rights had been acquired from the Cavaliers earlier today in exchange for the 2019 second round pick that Indiana garnered from the Lakers in the Roy Hibbert trade. Cleveland reportedly made the deal for Christmas in order to acquire a draft pick that it could use to help flip Brendan Haywood‘s uniquely valuable non-guaranteed contract.
The 23-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks to go with a slash line of .560/.000/.681 during his four years spent at Syracuse. Christmas logged 17.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG during his senior season.
Looks like the Pacers are signing him into cap space, so this is another consequence of David West’s opt out decision and the Roy Hibbert trade: a four-year contract for Christmas instead of a two-year one. More time to control his rights, and no Gilbert Arenas scenario.