Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Monta Ellis, Pacers Discussing Buyout

July 3rd, 2017 at 8:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Monta Ellis and the Pacers are discussing a possible buyout, sources told Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). The buyout could be completed later this month, Taylor adds.

It wouldn’t be a major surprise for Ellis to be seeking a better situation or to join a contender, considering his diminished playing time last season. Ellis, 31, started 81 games for Indiana in 2015/16 but started just 33 of 74 games last season. He averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.2 APG in 27 MPG, all career lows except for his rookie season of 2005/06 with the Warriors.

Ellis is due to make $11.2MM next season and holds a player option for $11.69MM in 2018/19.

A buyout would leave the Pacers a little thin at both guard positions even with the addition of Victor Oladipo in the blockbuster trade with the Thunder that shipped Paul George to the Western Conference. Indiana also agreed in principle to a two-year contract with point guard Darren Collison on Monday. Ellis knows he’d likely be a backup at either spot for a team in a rebuilding phase.

Ellis will be suspended for the first five games of next season for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.

Pacers Sign Darren Collison

July 3rd, 2017 at 7:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 7: The Pacers have formally announced the signing of Collison.

“Having had Darren here in the past, we obviously knew what we were getting, both on the floor and in the locker room,” Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “When you bring in a player like Darren, you know you’re not only getting a point guard, you’re adding a veteran presence to your team.”

JULY 3: Point guard Darren Collison has agreed in principle on a two-year, $20MM contract with the Pacers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Collison averaged 13.2 PPG and 4.6 APG in 68 games, including 63 starts, with the Kings last season.

The second year is partially guaranteed, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. The agreement leaves the Pacers with approximately $13MM in cap space, Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets.

This is Collison’s second stint with Indiana. He was their starting point guard during the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons.

Indiana had a big hole to fill at that spot after Jeff Teague reached a three-year, $57MM agreement with the Timberwolves. They also have combo guards Monta Ellis and Victor Oladipo, who will be coming over from the Thunder in the Paul George deal.

The Knicks reached out to Collison but their interest was apparently lukewarm at best.

Collison served an eight-game suspension at the start of last season after a domestic battery incident. He has appeared in 563 career games, averaging 12.7 PPG and 4.8 APG while shooting 38% from long range.

The addition of Collison appears to be a stopgap move for a rebuilding Pacers club in the aftermath of trading their best player.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers Sign T.J. Leaf To Rookie Contract

July 3rd, 2017 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have signed forward T.J. Leaf to this rookie contract, according to the NBA’s official transactions log. The team hasn’t officially announced the signing, but it appears Leaf made things official on Saturday before making his Summer League debut on Sunday.

Leaf, the 18th overall pick in last month’s draft, will be joining the Pacers as the club retools its roster, perhaps entering a full-fledged rebuilding phrase. He should have an opportunity to earn some frontcourt minutes in his rookie year for Indiana, alongside promising young bigs like Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis.

An early entrant in this year’s draft, Leaf is coming off an impressive freshman campaign at UCLA in which he averaged 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.1 BPG. He was also incredibly efficient from the floor, shooting 61.7% on field goal attempts, including 46.6% on threes.

Leaf’s rookie deal figures to be worth just over $2MM in year one, with a four-year total of more than $11.5MM, as our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale shows.

Raptors, Pacers Discuss Cory Joseph Trade

July 2nd, 2017 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

11:19am: The Raptors are seeking draft-pick compensation in exchange for Joseph in talks with the Pacers, writes Scotto in his full report for Basketball Insiders. With Ibaka returning to Toronto and Lowry a good bet to follow suit, the club is looking to clear salary.

10:13am: The Raptors and Pacers are engaged in discussions on Joseph, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter).

9:53am: The Raptors have had discussions about a trade that would send point guard Cory Joseph to Indiana, reports Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Based on the wording of Scotto’s report, it’s possible those discussions are simply internal ones for the Raptors, but I would imagine both teams have been involved in the talks.

Joseph, who will turn 26 next month, has played for the Raptors since 2015 after spending the first four years of his NBA career in San Antonio. He has steadily increased his production along with his playing time in each of his NBA seasons, averaging new career bests in PPG (9.3) and APG (3.3) with a .452/.356/.770 shooting line last season. Primarily a backup for Kyle Lowry in Toronto, Joseph stepped into the starting lineup down the stretch when Lowry was sidelined with a wrist injury.

If the Raptors are willing to consider moving Joseph, it may be a sign that the team believes Lowry will return. We heard on Saturday night that there’s a “growing sense” among NBA executives that the star point guard will remain in Toronto. If the Raps end up re-signing Lowry and trading Joseph, the team would likely lean on youngsters Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet as its backups at the point.

As for the Pacers, they’re in the market for point guard help after losing Jeff Teague, who has committed to sign with the Timberwolves. One report this weekend suggested Indiana is targeting players who haven’t necessarily reached their full potential with their current teams — Joseph, who has been solid but unspectacular for the Spurs and Raptors, may fit that bill.

Joseph, who will earn $7.63MM in 2017/18, has one guaranteed year left on his deal, with a $7.945MM player option for 2018/19. Moving his contract could help Toronto avoid going way over the tax line if the club reaches new deals with Lowry and Serge Ibaka.

Free Agent Rumors: Ibaka, Bogdanovic, Knicks

July 2nd, 2017 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

Addressing NBA-wide speculation that he’s older than his listed age of 27, Raptors free agent big man Serge Ibaka issued a statement expressing disappointment with the media for “prejudices” based on his origin. Within his written statement, Ibaka suggested that he needs to take a stand against the “false assumption” that has been circulating.

“I was born in the capital of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville,” Ibaka wrote. “A city with a population bigger than 1 million. A city with hospitals, a civil registry, and an administration. I was born in a caring, loving and united family. I was not born in the jungle.”

Here’s more on free agency:

In addition to the Hawks, the Kings and Nuggets are among the teams showing legitimate interest in Wizards RFA sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Bogdanovic landing in Sacramento would be a fun scenario for play-by-play commentators, since the Kings have already reached a deal with Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Multiple agents who have been in touch with the Knicks get the impression that the team wants to add younger players and is reluctant to spend big money on a single free agent, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. That could mean that New York’s reported interest in George Hill has waned.
As they explore the free agent market, the Pacers intend to target young players with upside who may not have reached their full potential with their previous teams, says Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis fit that bill, according to Taylor, who hears from a source that Pacers president Kevin Pritchard has “coveted Oladipo for years.”
Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald lays out why the Celtics badly need to land Gordon Hayward this week. As Bulpett explains, Boston’s cap room will no longer be available next summer when new deals are due for Isaiah Thomas and perhaps Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley as well, meaning 2017 is likely the team’s last and best chance to land a top-tier free agent.

Free Agent Rumors: Tucker, Hayward, Young, Reed

July 2nd, 2017 at 1:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors will lose P.J. Tucker in free agency, with the veteran forward having agreed to a four-year, $32MM contract with Houston. However, it won’t be for lack of trying. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (via Twitter), Toronto offered $33MM over three years for Tucker, whose Rockets deal is partially guaranteed in year four. New Rockets point guard Chris Paul played a major role in recruiting Tucker to Houston though, per Windhorst. The lack of income tax in Texas likely helped sway the 32-year-old as well, though that’s my speculation.

Here are a few more free agent notes from Saturday that we don’t want to let slip through the cracks:

Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald provides some details on the Heat‘s Saturday meeting with Gordon Hayward, which five Miami players attended. Interestingly, free agent forward James Johnson was one of those five players. Meanwhile, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes that Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford will attend the Celtics‘ Sunday meeting with Hayward.
We can add the Warriors and the Thunder to the list of teams that have conveyed interest in Nick Young, reports Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The Pelicans are also said to be eyeing the veteran free agent, who intends to meet with “a bunch of teams.” Medina adds that the Lakers reached out to Young’s reps, but there likely won’t be a fit there.
The Pacers, Sixers, and Rockets expressed interest in free agent big man Willie Reed on Saturday, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), who notes that the Heat also remain interested in re-signing Reed.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said his team had a “great call” with Nerlens Noel on Saturday, and that the free agent center is “excited to continue to play with the Mavs,” per Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. However, the Mavs will be patient and allow Noel and his agent to explore the market, knowing they’ll be able to match any offer he gets.
It sounds like Knicks GM Steve Mills will continue to run the team’s front office through the free agency period, in the wake of Phil Jackson‘s departure. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link), David Griffin had an initial phone interview with the franchise this week, but isn’t expected to interview in person for a few weeks, which suggests the process won’t be rushed.

Latest On Paul George

July 1st, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s a near-unanimous view around the league that Paul George will sign with the Lakers next summer despite Friday’s trade to the Thunder, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Lowe states that the chances of George heading to L.A. are about 75%, and the Celtics and Cavaliers had that in mind as they were working to obtain him.

The Lakers also subscribe to that view, which is why they weren’t willing to part with Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball to get George from the Pacers now. Lowe adds that Indiana didn’t have any interest in former Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was subsequently dealt to the Nets.

The ESPN writer shares more information about Friday’s major deal:

The Celtics wanted to see if they could land Gordon Hayward in free agency before completing a trade for George. They were reluctant to deal two starters in exchange for George without knowing whether they were getting Hayward.
Boston’s last offer for George didn’t include Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, the 2018 Nets pick or the Lakers/Kings pick that Boston received from Philadelphia. There were reports that the Celtics offered Indiana three picks at some point, but Lowe believes those were a combination of Boston’s future selections and protected 2019 first-rounders from the Grizzlies and Clippers. All of those draft choices could have fallen into the 20s, Lowe notes, and the Pacers wanted something more likely to be in the top 10.
A three-way trade involving the Pacers, Cavaliers and Nuggets was discussed on Friday. The deal would have sent George to Cleveland, Kevin Love to Denver and Gary Harris, Trey Lyles and a protected first-rounder to Indiana. Lowe describes the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Celtics as “stunned” when news broke that George was headed to Oklahoma City.
The Trail Blazers tried to get George on draft night, offering a package that included several picks and at least one player, but the Pacers turned it down.

Knicks Reach Out To Rondo, Collison

July 1st, 2017 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks’ search for a veteran point guard to pair with rookie Frank Ntilikina continues, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has reached out to Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison.

New York has been linked to a number of free agent point guards since free agency opened and in the weeks leading up to July. Many of the team’s rumored trade of free agent targets – such as Jeff Teague, Ricky Rubio, and Jrue Holiday – are already off the board, but the Knicks appear to have no shortage of candidates for their point guard spot.

The Knicks are said to be considering a reunion with Derrick Rose, and are among the clubs with some reported interest in Michael Carter-Williams. George Hill is viewed as the Knicks’ top target, though he’s probably more of a long shot, given the club’s inability to make him the sort of lucrative, competitive offer he’ll get elsewhere. A source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that the Nuggets and Pacers are a little “further along” on Hill.

It remains to be seen which point guard the Knicks will ultimately land, but expect a veteran addition of some sort — the club doesn’t believe Ntilikina is ready to start, per Berman.

Pacers Name Chad Buchanan New GM

July 1st, 2017 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 1: The Pacers have officially named Buchanan as their new general manager, per a press release from the team. The club also promoted VP of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie to senior VP of basketball ops.

JUNE 29: Hornets executive Chad Buchanan will be the new GM in Indiana, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. He will report to Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations.

Buchanan came to Charlotte in 2014 and has served as assistant GM under Rich Cho for the past two seasons. Before that, he spent 10 years with the Trail Blazers, where he served as director of college scouting. Buchanan and Pritchard were in the Portland organization together, notes Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Indiana’s GM position has been open since the beginning of May, when Pritchard was promoted to replace Larry Bird, who resigned as team president. Buchanan joins the organization just in time to help oversee free agency and possibly work out a trade involving star forward Paul George.

Celtics ‘Stunned’ By Thunder’s Paul George Trade

July 1st, 2017 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

Like the rest of the NBA world, the Celtics were “stunned” by Friday’s news that the Pacers agreed to send Paul George to Oklahoma City in a trade for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.

Boston had been planning to put a formal, competitive offer on the table for George, but the team wasn’t ready to try to finalize a deal with the Pacers until Gordon Hayward made a decision, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (link via RealGM).

According to Wojnarowski, the Pacers were interested in a package of Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and multiple picks from the Celtics. Sources told Bulpett that the Celtics were “more than ready” to propose a deal that included multiple players and picks, suggesting that Boston’s best offer probably would have been Crowder, Smart, and three future first-rounders (likely some combination of the Celtics’ own picks and the Grizzlies’ and Clippers’ picks).

Previous reports had suggested that the Celtics were unwilling to include their 2018 Nets and Lakers first-rounders, or recent lottery picks Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Between Wojnarowski’s and Bulpett’s accounts, there seems to be a little ambiguity about whether what was actually on the table for the Pacers from the Celtics. I get the impression that Boston likely would’ve been willing to offer Crowder, Smart, and multiple first-rounders eventually, but weren’t prepared to make a commitment yet, prompting the Pacers to move on to make a deal with the Thunder.

According to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, many NBA executives he has spoken to believe that Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was too “hell-bent” on keeping George out of the Eastern Conference. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link) confirms that he has heard this too, though he adds that some Western teams are confused because they felt their offers were better than Oklahoma City’s.

According to Wojnarowski, one scenario involving a Western team that the Pacers turned down was an offer of Gary Harris and a protected first-round pick (which likely would’ve become a second-rounder) from the Nuggets. George would have gone to Cleveland in that scenario, with the Nuggets getting Kevin Love.