Al Jefferson: Pacers Can ‘Do Something Special’
Al Jefferson‘s second season with the Pacers reminds him of his first season with the now-defunct Bobcats four years ago. Neither team was expected to be in playoff contention, but 57 games into the 2017/18 campaign, the 32-25 Pacers – currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference — are on track for the postseason.
“Yeah man, it reminds me of my first year in Charlotte during the 2013/14 season,” Jefferson said to Hoops Rumors in an exclusive interview before Wednesday’s first-half finale against the Nets. “No one counted us, nobody thought we would be good, and nobody thought we would be a playoff team. We became a playoff team and did well.”
The Bobcats won just 28 total games in the two years before Jefferson signed a three-year, $40.5MM pact with Charlotte. Conversely, the Pacers began their post-Paul George era with reduced expectations and unanswered questions. Would Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis be a sufficient return for George? Can a team without an established star compete in the East? Could young players like Myles Turner take a step forward?
So far, the answer has been yes across the board.
Jefferson has 14 years in the NBA and five trips to the postseason to his credit. This season, the 33-year-old has accepted the role of reserve center and mentor. He has appeared in just 28 games, averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 13.6 minutes per game – all career-lows.
The Pacers reportedly explored several trades at the deadline and Jefferson’s name was floated in discussions. Ultimately, the organization stood pat as the deadline passed. Jefferson and other Pacers players were happy that ownership allowed the current group to continue its playoff push.
“People counted us out from the beginning and nobody thought we would be where we are now,” Jefferson said. “We have a great group of guys that plays hard, that plays together, and wants to win, and nobody cares about anything else but winning.”
Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard shared the sentiment.
“They feel like they are overachieving and had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Pritchard told reporters, including The Indianapolis Star’s Jim Ayello on Sunday. “They wanted to have the opportunity to finish this out and try to get into the playoffs. That carried a lot of weight with me.”
At the All-Star Game this weekend, the Pacers will be represented by Oladipo, who is just the second Pacer not named Paul George to make the team since 2011. Indiana has also played well against the NBA’s upper echelon, with wins over the Celtics, Spurs, and Cavaliers to the club’s credit.
It will be a challenge to maintain their first-half level of play but Jefferson maintains the same confidence in the Pacers that Pritchard had when he decided to keep the band together.
“I think when you’ve got guys like that and a great coaching mindset like the coaching staff we’ve got, I think we could do something very special,” Jefferson said. “I’m a believer in taking it one game at a time and seeing how far you can go.”
Players' Input Led Pritchard To Stand Pat
- Pacers players lobbied GM Kevin Pritchard to stand pat during the trade deadline, Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star relays. Pritchard was approached by six players, who told him they wanted to see what they could accomplish with the current mix. “They feel like they are overachieving and had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Pritchard said during a press conference. “They wanted to have the opportunity to finish this out and try to get into the playoffs. … That carried a lot of weight with me.”
NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots
Now that the dust has settled on last Thursday’s trade-deadline deals and the first round of veteran buyouts and cuts has been completed, it’s worth taking stock of which NBA teams have the flexibility to add a player or two without waivers anyone else.
With the help of our roster counts page, which we update all season, here are the NBA teams with open spots on their 15-man rosters. Open two-way contract slots aren’t included here, since teams are ineligible to sign new two-way contracts at this point in the season.
Teams with a player on a 10-day contract filling their open spot:
- Phoenix Suns
- Utah Jazz
Both the Suns and Jazz have 14 players on fully guaranteed NBA contracts, leaving one potential opening. For now, Josh Gray is filling that 15th spot in Phoenix and Naz Mitrou-Long is doing the same in Utah. However, they’re only on 10-day contracts, so both of these teams could soon create an open spot if necessary.
Teams with one open spot:
- Charlotte Hornets
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Note: The Pelicans currently have two open roster spots, but Emeka Okafor‘s second 10-day contract will fill one when it becomes official.
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Sacramento Kings
- Toronto Raptors
The teams listed above represent a mix of playoff-bound squads and rebuilding non-contenders. Teams like the Bulls, Mavericks, and Knicks could use their open roster spots to take fliers on young players via 10-day contracts, while clubs like the Timberwolves, Thunder, and Raptors may be eyeing the buyout market for veterans who could fortify their respective benches.
Teams with two open spots:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Washington Wizards
NBA rules generally prohibit teams from carrying fewer than 14 players on their 15-man squads. However, clubs are permitted to dip to 13 – or even 12 – in special circumstances, as long as they get back up to 14 within two weeks. Roster moves made last week by the Hawks, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Wizards left them below the limit, so they’ll each have to add at least one player by the end of the All-Star break.
Note: Roster info current as of Tuesday, February 13 at 2:00pm CT.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/11/18
Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.
10:04pm:
- The Warriors have assigned Patrick McCaw to their affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced (Twitter link).
2:52pm:
- The Grizzlies have assigned forward Brice Johnson to their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, the team announced in a press release. Johnson was acquired by the Grizzlies prior to the trade deadline on Thursday. In 24 G League games this season, Johnson has averaged 13.4 PPG and 9.5 RPG.
- The Thunder have recalled guard Terrance Ferguson and center Dakari Johnson from their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Ferguson has appeared in 41 games with the Thunder this season while Johnson has racked up 24 appearances.
- The Pacers recalled center Ike Anigbogu from their G League affiliate in Fort Wayne, the team announced on its website. While the rookie has played sparingly with the big league club, he’s averaged 6.3 PPG, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 12 games with the Mad Ants this season.
Pacers Stand Pat At Deadline With Future In Mind
- The Pacers stood pat at the deadline, with the team more focused on the future than short-term fixes, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. At 31-25, Indiana is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and on track to make the playoffs. However, Brown notes that the Pacers do not feel like they were one trade away from being a championship contender and elected to not make a move.
Trade Deadline Rumors: Carroll, Kings, Lakers, C’s
The Nets and Pacers have considered a deal that would send DeMarre Carroll to Indiana in exchange for Al Jefferson, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The deal would be a way for Brooklyn to clear money for next season, as Carroll is owed $15.4MM, while Jefferson has a $10MM salary that’s only partially guaranteed.
Carroll, who was traded to the Nets over the summer, is averaging career highs in scoring (13.2), rebounds (6.4) and assists (1.9). Jefferson has settled into a reserve role since coming to Indiana two years ago and is averaging 6.7 points and 3.9 assists in 26 games.
There’s more to report as the trade deadline draws closer:
- The Kings are willing to move second-year center Georgios Papagiannis if they need to open a roster spot to complete a larger trade, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link). However, Sacramento has since agreed to trade Malachi Richardson in a deal that seems designed to open up a roster spot.
- With Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis both battling injuries, the Suns may be interested in a minor deal for point guard help, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Josh Gray is the only healthy option currently on the roster.
- The Lakers appear to be done with major deals after acquiring Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye from the Cavaliers, relays Bill Oram of the SoCalNewsGroup (Twitter link). Oram adds that a minor trade could still be in the works.
- The Celtics remain engaged on several trade fronts, but continue to be reluctant to include a first-round pick in a deal, sources tell Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
- The Cavaliers weren’t able to gain any traction with the Hornets on a Kemba Walker trade before pulling the trigger on a series of separate deals, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Hornets Michael Jordan places a high value on Walker and won’t move him cheaply, Woj adds. Jordan said in a recent interview that he wouldn’t part with Walker “for anything but an All-Star player.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Free Agent Market, Payne, Perkins, Booker
The bull market for free agents has ended and there will be few free-spending teams this summer, according to Brian Windhorst and Bobby Marks of ESPN. Many organizations are paying the price for the huge contracts that were handed out in 2016 as cap issues are forcing much of the league to take a more frugal approach.
This season, five teams are on pace to pay the luxury tax, which kicks in with a payroll topping $119MM. Twelve teams are projected to be in tax territory for 2018/19 and several more are in danger of getting there just by re-signing their own free agents. The authors list the Bucks as one team that will cross the line if they hold onto Jabari Parker.
“The luxury tax was not designed for this many teams to pay it,” a league executive told Windhorst and Marks. “Many of those owners probably didn’t think they’d be paying it. Quite a few of those teams are probably going to take steps to get out of the tax or limit new spending.”
When teams were handing out big contracts in the summer of 2016, they were expecting a salary cap in the range of $108MM for next season. That projection has been revised down to $101MM, leaving many in an unexpected dilemma. Only seven teams — the Lakers, Sixers, Bulls, Hawks, Mavericks, Suns and Nets — will have more than $10MM available to chase free agents, and virtually all of those teams are in rebuilding mode.
NBA agent Mark Bartelstein expects the situation to improve in 2019 and 2020 when those 2016 contracts start to expire.
There’s more NBA-related news this morning:
- Max and “supermax” deals are the reason more stars seem to be on the trade market, writes Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer. Clippers consultant Jerry West had been urging owner Steve Ballmer to trade Blake Griffin ever since Chris Paul let the team know he wouldn’t be re-signing. Ballmer was convinced after Griffin’s latest injury, recognizing the risks of paying him $171MM over five years, including nearly $39MM in the 2021/22 season when he will be 32. Teams are taking stock of their future and weighing whether maxing out a star is worth giving up financial flexibility. O’Connor predicts fewer mid-sized deals, like the approximately $17MM the Magic are giving to Bismack Biyombo and Evan Fournier, in favor of more non-taxpayer midlevel exceptions, which are valued at $8.4MM an will rise to about $10MM before the current CBA expires.
- Adreian Payne, who was waived by the Magic last month in the wake of the Michigan State scandal, had signed to play in Greece, relays the Associated Press. Payne had a two-way contract and played just four games for Orlando.
- Veteran center Kendrick Perkins has decided to leave the G League Canton Charge, tweets Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated. Several teams have contacted him about signing after the deadline, and he may consider playing in China or Japan next year, depending how the rest of this season turns out, adds Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Perkins officially “retired” from the G League so the Charge can receive compensation, according to 2 Ways & 10 Days.
- Sixers forward Trevor Booker has changed agents in advance of his upcoming free agency, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Booker has signed with Jim Tanner’s Tandem Sports + Entertainment.
- Lavoy Allen, who played 61 games for the Pacers last season, has joined the Northern Arizona Suns of the G League, the team tweeted.
Pacers Willing To Absorb Bad Contract To Get Pick
- The Pacers have been aggressively seeking out deals that would allow them to land a first-round pick while taking on a bad contract, tweets Wojnarowski. Indiana is willing to offer Al Jefferson in such a deal, Woj adds. The veteran big man doesn’t have a lot of value, but his $10MM salary for 2018/19 is only partially guaranteed for $4MM, making it a pseudo-expiring contract.
O’Connor’s Latest: Thunder, Bradley, Simmons
When we relayed the latest rumors on the Thunder‘s search for wing help on Tuesday, Avery Bradley was one player we mentioned, with a report suggesting Oklahoma City has done its due diligence on the Clippers guard. It wasn’t the first time Bradley’s name has surfaced as a potential OKC target, and multiple league sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that Bradley’s name “keeps popping up” as a player of major interest to the Thunder.
As O’Connor observes, one deal that would make sense on paper and would work financially is Bradley for Alex Abrines and Terrance Ferguson. However, the Thunder are reportedly very reluctant to part with Ferguson, recognizing that they’ll need inexpensive role players for the next few years if they hope to keep their current core together.
Still, some sort of deal involving Abrines could be possible. O’Connor hears from a league executive that Clippers director of pro player personnel Johnny Rogers – who played and broadcasted in Spain – “loves” Abrines, a former Barcelona standout.
O’Connor shares a few more items of interest in his latest piece for The Ringer, so let’s round them up…
- Although the Thunder have kicked the tires on Magic swingman Jonathon Simmons, multiple sources tell O’Connor that Simmons isn’t expected to be available — at least not for what Oklahoma City would offer.
- Two front office sources have informed O’Connor that the Thunder would be among the frontrunners to sign Joe Johnson if he’s bought out by the Jazz this month.
- The Hawks have had some trouble gaining traction on deals for some of their veterans, according to O’Connor, who says that the Thunder and Pacers are among Atlanta’s potential trade partners for players like Marco Belinelli, Dewayne Dedmon, or Ersan Ilyasova. O’Connor notes that the Hawks had interest in T.J. Leaf prior to last year’s draft, but he’s skeptical that the Pacers would surrender the rookie forward for a veteran rental.
Forbes Releases 2018 NBA Franchise Valuations
The Knicks are still reeling from Tuesday’s news that Kristaps Porzingis has suffered a torn ACL and will be sidelined for the rest of the season. While Porzingis’ injury essentially eliminates the Knicks from the playoff race in the East, team ownership can at least find some solace in the fact that the organization remains the highest-valued franchise in the NBA, according to a report from Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.
For the first time, all 30 NBA teams have a perceived worth of $1 billion or more, per Forbes’ annual report. In 2017, 18 teams had a valuation exceeding $1 billion, which was up from 13 teams in 2016 and just three teams in 2015.
The league-wide average of $1.65 billion per team is also a record, with franchise valuations up 22% in total over last year’s figures. NBA franchise values have tripled over the last five years, according to Badenhausen.
Here’s the full list of NBA franchise valuations, per Forbes:
- New York Knicks: $3.6 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers: $3.3 billion
- Golden State Warriors: $3.1 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $2.6 billion
- Boston Celtics: $2.5 billion
- Brooklyn Nets: $2.3 billion
- Houston Rockets: $2.2 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers: $2.15 billion
- Dallas Mavericks: $1.9 billion
- Miami Heat: $1.7 billion
- San Antonio Spurs: $1.55 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $1.4 billion
- Sacramento Kings: $1.375 billion
- Washington Wizards: $1.35 billion
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $1.325 billion
- Portland Trail Blazers: $1.3 billion
- Phoenix Suns: $1.28 billion
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $1.25 billion
- Orlando Magic: $1.225 billion
- Utah Jazz: $1.2 billion
- Philadelphia 76ers: $1.18 billion
- Indiana Pacers: $1.175 billion
- Atlanta Hawks: $1.15 billion
- Denver Nuggets: $1.125 billion
- Detroit Pistons: $1.1 billion
- Milwaukee Bucks: $1.075 billion
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $1.06 billion
- Charlotte Hornets: $1.05 billion
- Memphis Grizzlies: $1.025 billion
- New Orleans Pelicans: $1 billion
For comparison’s sake, Forbes’ 2017 valuations can be found right here.