Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Tyreke Evans Signs One-Year Deal With Pacers

July 6th, 2018 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: Evans’ deal with the Pacers is now official, the team announced in a press release. “With Tyreke, we thought we needed a secondary ball-handler to not only compliment Victor [Oladipo], but he can turn it downhill and make plays for others,” said president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard.

Indiana also made its deal with McDermott official today.

JULY 3: The Pacers are in agreement on a one-year, $12MM deal with Tyreke Evans, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had reported (via Twitter) that Evans and the Pacers were closing in on a one-year deal.

Twitter user @SneakerReporter first broke word of a potential $12MM deal between the Pacers and Evans nearly 24 hours ago, though it’s not clear if an agreement was formally in place that early or if the two sides finalized it today. Evans traveled to meet with the Pacers today after having already met with the Thunder, Lakers, Warriors, and Hornets earlier in free agency, and Wojnarowski indicated this morning that Evans and the Pacers were still working toward a deal.

A former fourth overall pick and Rookie of the Year, Evans appeared in 52 games during an injury-shortened season for the Grizzlies. When healthy, he looked as good as he has at any time in his nine-year NBA career, averaging 19.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 5.1 RPG with a .452/.399/.785 shooting line.

The lottery-bound Grizzlies held onto Evans at the trade deadline rather than getting what they could for him, and at the time reports suggested that Memphis intended to push hard to re-sign the 28-year-old as a free agent, using their mid-level exception. However, there has been no indication that the Grizzlies made a strong effort to bring back Evans.

While other teams showed interest in Evans, none of them had the ability to make the sort of $12MM offer the Pacers did. Even after committing to Doug McDermott earlier in free agency, Indiana still had about $12-15MM in cap room to work with, and will devote most or all of that room to Evans. He’ll provide another play-maker in the backcourt for the Pacers, who lost Lance Stephenson to the Lakers.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), Evans was the Warriors‘ initial target using their taxpayer’s mid-level exception ($5.337MM), but they were turned down by the guard, who was seeking more money and a larger role. He should get both in Indiana, though Golden State is probably happy with its fallback plan for that MLE.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tyreke Evans Brings More Firepower To Pacers

July 3rd, 2018 at 10:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers boosted their chances to be a top three team in the East by landing Tyreke Evans, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. The addition of Evans, along with Doug McDermott and rookie Aaron Holiday, gives Indiana far more firepower off the bench than it had this season, Doyel contends. One of eight players to average 19 points, five rebounds and five assists during the season, Evans is versatile enough to help the Pacers in a variety of ways.

Tyreke Evans Meeting With Pacers

July 3rd, 2018 at 8:14am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Tyreke Evans continues to meet with interested teams, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Evans has a meeting lined up with the Pacers today. While the two sides have mutual interest in completing a deal, there’s still work to do on it, Woj adds.

It’s the fifth reported free agent meeting for Evans, who also reportedly spoke to the Thunder, Lakers, Warriors, and Hornets. None of those teams currently have the cap room or exceptions to offer the 28-year-old the kind of money that Indiana could.

Having waived Al Jefferson on Monday, the Pacers should still have about $10-15MM in cap room even after committing a portion of their space to Doug McDermott early in free agency.

A former fourth overall pick and Rookie of the Year, Evans appeared in 52 games during an injury-shortened season for the Grizzlies. When healthy, the play-making guard looked as good as he has at any time in his nine-year NBA career, averaging 19.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 5.1 RPG with a .452/.399/.785 shooting line.

Pacers Waive Center Al Jefferson

July 2nd, 2018 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have waived veteran center Al Jefferson, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets.

Jefferson had a partial guarantee of $4MM on his $10MM salary for next season. Indiana gains $6MM in cap space by the move and could use the stretch provision to create even more room for thie summer.

Though the Pacers declined their $4.33MM option on Lance Stephenson‘s contract, they have added plenty of salary in recent days. They guaranteed Bojan Bogdanovic‘s $10.5MM salary and Darren Collison‘s $10MM deal.

Indiana also made a surprising three-year, $22MM free agent splurge for forward Doug McDermott and agreed to terms with first-round pick Aaron Holiday.

Jefferson, 33, has played for Indiana the past two seasons. He saw spot duty in 36 games last season as the No. 3 center, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 13.4 MPG.

Pacers Guarantee Darren Collison’s 2018/19 Salary

July 2nd, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 2: The Pacers have guaranteed Collison’s $10MM salary for the 2018/19 season, a source tells Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Indiana also guaranteed Bogdanovic’s ’18/19 salary last week.

JUNE 21: The Pacers are expected to bring back Darren Collison and guarantee his $10MM contract for next season, tweets Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. Collison only has a $2MM partial guarantee for now, but will be in line for his full salary if Indiana doesn’t waive him before July 1.

“Everything is so fluid but at the end of the day, we said our top six, seven guys we wanted to have back. And then make additions,” said president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard.

Collison turned in a steady performance during his first season in Indiana, appearing in 69 games and posting a 12.4/2.6/5.3 line. The nine-year veteran signed with the Pacers as a free agent last summer.

Indiana still has to address partially guaranteed contracts for Bojan Bogdanovic ($10.5MM) and Al Jefferson ($10MM). Bogdanovic has a $1.5MM guarantee, while Jefferson’s is $4MM. Alex Poythress ($1,544,951) and Ike Anigbogu ($690,000 guaranteed out of $1,378,242) have smaller non-guaranteed deals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers Sign First-Rounder Aaron Holiday

July 1st, 2018 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have signed first-round pick Aaron Holiday to his rookie scale contract, according to a press release issued by the team.

Holiday, the younger brother of NBA players Jrue Holiday and Justin Holiday, enjoyed a major breakout season at UCLA in 2017/18, increasing his scoring average by eight points per game to 20.3 PPG. That mark tied him with Arizona’s Deandre Ayton for the Pac-12 scoring lead. Holiday also chipped in 5.8 APG and 3.7 RPG, shooting 42.9% on three-point attempts.

The Pacers selected Holiday with the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, which will put him in line for a first-year salary of approximately $1.91MM. That figure represents the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale amount for the No. 23 pick in 2018/19.

Like all other first-rounders who sign rookie scale contracts, Holiday will get two guaranteed years, with team options in years three and four.

Free Agent Notes: Stephenson, Tolliver, McGee, O’Quinn

July 1st, 2018 at 11:50am CST by Arthur Hill

Plenty of teams will have interest in Lance Stephenson once the higher-profile free agents are signed, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Pacers remain open to bringing back the 27-year-old swingman after declining their team option on him this week. Wolfson lists the Timberwolves, Knicks, Sixers and Lakers as other interested teams, but says there are more.

Stephenson appeared in all 82 games for Indiana this season, averaging 9.2 points per night. He would have made $4.36MM in 2018/19 if the Pacers had picked up his option.

There’s more free agent news to pass along:

Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has talked to Pistons free agent Anthony Tolliver, according to Wolfson (Twitter link). Tolliver shot 44% from 3-point range this season, and Minnesota sees him as a possible replacement for Jamal Crawford. The Wolves also like his locker room presence, which could be valuable if Cole Aldrich doesn’t come back.
JaVale McGee has said he wants to return to the Warriors, but he is also getting interest from the Lakers, Pelicans and Thunder, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. Because of luxury tax concerns, Golden State is unlikely to offer more than a veteran’s minimum contract, while the other teams have more financial flexibility. McGee averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.6RPG this season, but his numbers rose after he became a starter after the All-Star break. This is the third straight summer of free agency for McGee, who has spent the past two seasons with the Warriors.
The new contract for Luke Kornet is a sign that Kyle O’Quinn won’t return to the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. He adds that the Sixers are showing “heavy interest” in O’Quinn, who spent the past three years in New York as a backup center.
The Knicks are hoping to re-sign Isaiah Hicks, who was on a two-way contract this season, tweets ESPN’s Ian Begley. New York gave him a qualifying offer last week, making him a free agent and giving the team the right to match any offer. Hicks appeared in 18 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points per night.
A scheduled meeting between Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Clippers has been moved from today to Monday, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.

Free Agent Rumors: LeBron, Capela, Pelicans, Hood

July 1st, 2018 at 1:59am CST by Luke Adams

While several key free agents – including Paul George and Chris Paul – reached agreements in the early hours of free agency, LeBron James wasn’t among that group. Still, there’s a little news on James.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter), Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman spoke to both James and agent Rich Paul on the phone when free agency began. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com first reported (via Twitter) that the discussion was expected to happen.

The specifics of that conversation aren’t known, but the Cavaliers are still believed to be in the mix to sign the summer’s top free agent, though the Lakers are widely considered favorites.

Here are a few more free agent updates from around the NBA:

The Rockets‘ front office will meet with Clint Capela and his representatives on Sunday in Los Angeles, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Capela figures to be Houston’s top priority in free agency now that the team has reached a deal with Chris Paul.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps has asked some of his current players to reach out to free agent Tyreke Evans about the possibility of returning to New Orleans, tweets John Martin of 92.9 ESPN. Evans would be a mid-level exception candidate for the Pels.
Rodney Hood received calls from approximately six teams early in free agency, sources tell Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Hood is a restricted free agent, so the Cavaliers can match any offer sheet he signs.
The Timberwolves, Rockets, Knicks, and Spurs have all shown interest in Trevor Booker, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, who tweets that a return to the Pacers is also still in play for the veteran forward.
Tyrone Wallace, who spent last season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, has generated interest from about a half-dozen teams, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Wallace received a qualifying offer from the Clips, who will be able to match any offer sheet he signs.

Pacers Sign Doug McDermott To Three-Year Deal

June 30th, 2018 at 11:00pm CST by Austin Kent

JULY 6: McDermott’s contract is now official, according to a press release from the Pacers. “In Doug’s case, we were looking for elite shooting, but we were also impressed with how he moves without the ball and his spot-up shooting,” said president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard.

JUNE 30: The Pacers have agreed to a three-year, $22MM deal with Doug McDermott, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The small forward comes off of a year split between the Knicks and the Mavs.

In McDermott, the Pacers will add a solid perimeter threat with size. The 6’8″ forward is a career .403 three-point shooter and posted a .494 average in 26 games with Dallas.

Despite his solid stint with the Mavericks, McDermott was not made a restricted free agent this summer. Dallas initially tendered a qualifying offer to the veteran sharpshooter, but withdrew it shortly thereafter, ensuring that McDermott would be unrestricted. The Mavs intended to use a significant chunk of cap room on DeAndre Jordan, and didn’t want to carry McDermott’s $10MM cap hold on their books.

McDermott will add valuable depth to Indiana’s rotation, slotting in behind starting three Bojan Bogdanovic. Meanwhile, the Pacers should still have cap room available to add another player or two.

Pacers May Pursue Doug McDermott, Joe Harris

June 30th, 2018 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Will Barton expected to re-sign in Denver, the Pacers will turn their attention to Doug McDermott and Joe Harris, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

McDermott, 26, became a free agent on Wednesday when the Mavericks withdrew their qualifying offer. He split this season between New York and Dallas, playing 26 games for the Mavs after a February trade and averaging 9.0 points per night while shooting 49% from 3-point range.

Harris, also 26, is coming off his best NBA season. He averaged 10.8 points and shot 42% on 3-pointers in 78 games for the Nets.