Kam Jones‘ contract for next season is only 50% guaranteed, prompting Forbes contributor Tony East to consider what the Pacers might do with the rookie guard this offseason. East suggests that pushing back Jones’ guarantee date from June 30 to sometime in July, allowing him to play for Indiana’s Summer League team, is one option the two sides could explore.
The 38th overall pick of last year’s draft, Jones’ NBA debut was delayed until late December due to a back injury, and he has been in and out of the rotation the past few months, East notes. While the former Marquette standout is technically under contract through 2028/29, the final two seasons are fully non-guaranteed.
Jones’ future with the Pacers could be tied to whether or not the team keeps its top-four protected pick in the upcoming draft, East observes, since Indiana doesn’t have many roster spots available. Keeping Jones or waiving him and using the stretch provision to spread his 2026/27 cap hit over multiple seasons are among the other options for the Pacers, East adds.
Here’s more from Indiana:
- Third-year guard Ben Sheppard will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. After a slow start to the season amid a wave of backcourt injuries, Sheppard has found his footing since he returned from a calf strain in late December, showing growth on the offensive end while taking on difficult defensive assignments, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). “I’ve been able to experiment within my game and my comfort level this season,” Sheppard said. “Just all the moving pieces, people coming in and out, offensive rhythm has been kinda off, but with all my coaches in my corner and my teammates in my corner just trying to be more aggressive and take my opportunities as they come. I feel like I’ve been finding my shot a lot of different ways that I haven’t gotten last year or the year before. Just creating a little bit more and just looking at the rim more.”
- In a story for his website Circle City Spin, East takes an inside look at the returns of Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, who faced the Pacers in Indianapolis on Friday night for the first time since they were traded to the Clippers ahead of the February deadline. The former first-round picks received a tribute video and a warm reception from fans during the first stoppage in play, which Mathurin appreciated. “It meant the world. Indy is like my first home. I was able to get drafted over here. Just being loved by the fans,” Mathurin said. “I love the fans. I would say that they were the best fans in the world. Now, we have a different group of fans. It’s all love.” Head coach Rick Carlisle called the moment “heartwarming” and said he was happy both players have played well for Los Angeles, per East. “We just weren’t going to be able to make it work with Benn contractually,” Carlisle said of Mathurin, who will be a restricted free agent in a few months (Twitter link via East).
- Jarace Walker suffered a head injury in the first quarter of Friday’s contest and was later ruled out for the remainder of the one-point loss because he was being evaluating for a concussion (Twitter link). Carlisle didn’t have much of an update on the third-year forward afterward, according to East. “I don’t know that he’s going to be in concussion protocol… we’ll see what’s what on Sunday,” Carlisle said.
No real reason for Jones to push back the date. 50% is enough of a cap hit that IND would just guarantee him. The 50% was just injury protection that was negotiated in.
If they’re even considering waiving him and taking that hit, summer league is unlikely to sway them. If anything he’s just as likely to play himself out of the $ if he has a poor summer showing.