Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Sign Toney Douglas To Camp Deal

August 11th, 2015 at 10:41am CST by Eddie Scarito

AUGUST 11TH, 10:41am: The deal is official, the team announced. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird nonetheless seems to make it clear that Douglas isn’t assured of a spot on the opening night roster, which would suggest his contract isn’t fully guaranteed.

“We look forward to having him in camp,” Bird said in the team’s statement. “He’s a veteran player who’s a good pro and he can play two positions. He’s the type of player we’re looking for with our new style of play. We look forward to working with him and having him in camp.”

AUGUST 6TH, 5:01pm: The Pacers intend to sign unrestricted free agent Toney Douglas, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (via Twitter). The 29-year-old is already in Indiana working out with the team, Zillgitt adds. Indiana currently has a roster count of 15 players, including 14 fully guaranteed pacts.

The guard was waived by the Pelicans at the end of July so that the team could avoid being on the hook for his 2015/16 salary of $1,185,784, which would have become fully guaranteed if Douglas remained on New Orleans’ roster through August 1st.

Douglas appeared in 12 games for New Orleans during the 2014/15 season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.0 assists in 14.8 minutes per game. His career numbers through six NBA seasons are 7.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG.

Eastern Notes: Thompson, Dragic, Pistons

August 10th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Agent Rich Paul may represent both LeBron James and Tristan Thompson, but the influence Thompson’s negotiations have on LeBron’s decision-making is overstated, opines Hoops Rumors contributor Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, who believes Thompson shouldn’t overplay his hand.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Zoran Dragic‘s representatives wanted to secure his release from the Celtics so that he could return to Europe and play regularly, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Celtics announced on Monday that they had waived Dragic, whom they acquired in last month’s trade with Miami.
The Cavaliers are the Eastern Conference’s top team in terms of roster construction but there are several surprises in the Top 5, according to an analysis by ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle in an Insider-only piece. The Pacers rank second in tier score, which is based on a team’s anticipated 10-man rotation. The Raptors, Pistons and Hawks round out the Top 5 while the Nets, a playoff team last season, are near the bottom at No. 13.
The Pistons could go with a wing trio of Marcus Morris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson against certain opponents, which would mean reduced playing time for Jodie Meeks, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. The production from that trio will have a major influence on the team’s goal to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2008/09 season, Langlois adds.

Nets Sign Donald Sloan

August 10th, 2015 at 1:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:01am: The deal is for the minimum salary and includes a small guarantee, NetsDaily tweets, citing a league source.

11:50am: The Nets have signed point guard Donald Sloan, the team announced via press release. The new client of Byron Irvin and Dan Fegan became a free agent when his deal with the Pacers expired at the end of June.

Sloan is coming off a career-high 21 starts for an injury-riddled Indiana team this past season. The four-year veteran spent the past two seasons with the Pacers after having played for three teams in his first couple of years in the league. He’s a strong distributor, averaging 3.6 assists against 1.2 turnovers per game in 2014/15, and he was the fourth most efficient assist producer left in free agency, as I noted last week. He was in talks with the Spurs, Bulls and Mavericks last month, as Shams Charania of RealGM reported then, so the Nets appear to have been a more recent suitor.

Brooklyn is hanging around the $84.74MM tax threshold, with less than that figure in guaranteed salary but more than that if non-guaranteed salary is factored in. Sloan made the minimum this past season, and it would be somewhat surprising to see him make more this time around. Still, the Nets do have $2.464MM left on their mid-level exception that they could use if they’re on board with triggering a hard cap of $4MM above the tax line.

The Nets have only 12 fully guaranteed contracts, but Markel Brown, Quincy Miller, Willie Reed and rookie Ryan Boatright all have partially guaranteed pacts, as our roster counts show. Sloan figures to compete with Boatright for the job as Brooklyn’s third point guard behind Jarrett Jack and Shane Larkin.

Eastern Rumors: Pistons, Wilbekin, Pacers

August 3rd, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ersan Ilyasova would have been a top target for the Pistons if he had been a free agent this summer, coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Ilyasova was acquired in a trade with the Bucks, who re-signed restricted free agent Khris Middleton, another Detroit target, according to Langlois. “If he’d been a free agent, he’d have been the guy at the top of our list at power forward,” Van Gundy said of Ilyasova. The Pistons also would not have pursued a free agent small forward if Marcus Morris had been made available sooner. He was acquired in a salary dump by the Suns in early July after Detroit came up empty in its aim to sign either DeMarre Carroll or Danny Green. “There’s no question we would have opted to take him rather than go into free agency had that been there [before July 1],” Van Gundy said to Langlois. “It wasn’t at the time, so we did try to make a play for a couple of guys. But when it didn’t work out and that presented itself, we were fortunate.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Scottie Wilbekin received a $200K guarantee from the Sixers for the upcoming season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The remainder of the four-year, $3.5MM contract that the ex-University of Florida point guard signed is not guaranteed, Pincus adds. Wilbekin will make $525,093 in the first year if he’s still on the roster January 10th. He played in Australia and Greece last season after going undrafted.
Monta Ellis has the potential to ultimately become one of the Pacers’ greatest free agent signings, argues Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, who nonetheless ranks David West, who bolted for the Spurs this summer, as the most significant free agent addition in team history. Montieth addressed that and other topics in a mailbag format.
Drew Gooden‘s $3.547MM salary for the 2016/17 season becomes guaranteed on July 15th, according to Pincus (Twitter link). The Wizards forward, who has a guaranteed $3.3MM contract for the upcoming season, has a no-trade restriction on his deal which lifts on January 15th.

Central Notes: Bulls, Pacers, Bucks

August 2nd, 2015 at 4:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Bucks lottery pick Joe Alexander is on his way to Italy. Earlier today, David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter) heard from Alexander’s agent that he’ll be heading to Sardinia’s Sassari. Things didn’t work out as planned for Alexander in the NBA, but as he explained in an interview earlier this year, he believes that a dysfunctional regime in Milwaukee hampered him as much as injuries did. Here’s more from the Central Division..

Instead of making bold moves, the Bulls are keeping their team exactly the same and betting on their rookie coach, Fred Hoiberg, Scott Davis of Business Insider writes. The Bulls handled their biggest priority when they re-signed Jimmy Butler to a five-year, $90MM deal. Now, Chicago is hoping that it was Tom Thibodeau‘s bumpy relationships with some players that kept them from winning it all rather than any shortcomings on their roster.
With the contracts of Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger expiring after the year and Solomon Hill‘s rookie deal holding an option for his fourth year, the Pacers should have plenty of room to make free agent moves next summer, Mark Montieth of Pacers.com writes.
The Bucks are equipped to win now and also build toward something greater for the future, Tim Cato of SB Nation writes. Cato also looked at how new addition Greg Monroe will fit in and how big of a step Giannis Antetokounmpo could take this season.

Central Notes: George, Granger, Pistons

August 2nd, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Paul George injury that occurred one year ago Saturday essentially ended an era in Indiana, according to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. Playing in a USA Basketball scrimmage, George suffered a broken right tibia and fibula, knocking him out for most of the 2014/15 season. The Pacers began assembling a younger, faster roster, and the moves culminated with this summer’s trade of Roy Hibbert to the Lakers and the loss of David West in free agency. Monta Ellis, who was signed as a free agent, is now Indiana’s oldest player at age 30.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers have built a talented roster filled with athletic wings and combo guards, but still need a healthy season from George to be contenders, writes Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. George was able to return for six games at the end of last season, aiding a late Pacers push toward the playoffs, and the team is optimistic about his outlook for next season. Indiana’s roster overhaul has brought seven new players to the team since the end of last season.
Danny Granger will probably be the first player trimmed from an overcrowded Pistons roster, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The recent signing of Adonis Thomas for camp gave Detroit 18 players with guaranteed contracts, and all except Thomas appear to be fully guaranteed. Granger, 32, played in just 30 games for the Heat last season, averaging 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. He was traded to Phoenix in February and went from the Suns to the Pistons in a July 9th deal.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy displayed unusual patience this summer, writes Sean Corp in the Detroit Free Press. Instead of throwing a max offer at another free agent after missing out on early targets Danny Green and DeMarre Carroll, the Pistons waited for an opportunity. Their patience paid off when they were able to cheaply acquire a package from Phoenix that included Marcus Morris. Van Gundy credits GM Jeff Bower for pushing the patient approach.

Central Notes: Hill, Bulls, Whittington

July 31st, 2015 at 7:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers signee Jordan Hill has been arrested after allegedly driving 107 mph near Atlanta, reports Mike Petchenik of WSB-TV (Twitter link). “We have been informed Jordan was arrested for allegedly reckless driving in Atlanta, Georgia. It is obvious we don’t condone this. We will address this with Jordan. This is a major concern of safety, not just for Jordan, but for others,” president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a statement the team issued via Twitter. Hill is scheduled to make a guaranteed $4MM on his one-year contract this season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

While Pau Gasol understands the Bulls‘ reasons for firing former coach Tom Thibodeau, he doesn’t believe that simply revamping the team’s offense is enough to take the next step toward an NBA title, Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald relays. “Offense wasn’t too much of an issue last year,” Gasol said. “We can work on our offense all we want, but defense is going to make a difference in how we’re going to beat other teams.“
The Bulls also face the challenge of fielding a roster loaded with big men in a league trending toward more scoring and smaller lineups, McGraw adds, but Gasol believes the team can benefit from its roster continuity. “We have a great opportunity,” Gasol said. “We have a very strong team. There were very few changes made as far as our roster and our players. We can build on what we had last year, so we have all the tools to be a much stronger team than we were and learn from our mistakes from last year. I think we have to understand we have talent offensively and we have to play with a better flow offensively. I think we’re going to have more freedom to play in transition and exploit our abilities as individuals. As long as we understand that defense is what wins championships and makes the difference … we should be fine.“
Shayne Whittington is part of the Pacers‘ current frontcourt logjam, but he believes his ability to guard multiple positions will set him apart, Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com writes. “Honestly, I think the one thing that really will set me apart from anybody at the four and five is if I can start guarding guards on a consistent basis,” Whittington said. “If I start doing that, then, then you never know, I’ll be at the four quite a bit. We’ll switch a lot; I can actually guard those guards; [Coach Frank Vogel will] feel comfortable with me out there guarding people. If your President of Basketball Operations feels comfortable with you guarding guards out there, you’re going to be on the court, especially if you’re 6’11”. Playing defense, rebounding the ball — that’ll get me on the court.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Monroe, Allen, Christmas

July 31st, 2015 at 1:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks GM John Hammond was elated to sign big man Greg Monroe this summer, and not just because of his talent, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Milwaukee scored the former Pistons mainstay with a three-year max deal.

“Just such a great opportunity for us, we felt,” Hammond said of Monroe. “We need a player of that caliber. We need a player that we can throw the ball to in the post. But it’s just as important that we continue to try to build and build this the right way, that we can build with the right kind of people.”

Milwaukee’s playoff-ready roster was a key reason behind Monroe’s decision to sign there, as agent David Falk said earlier this month, but the Bucks aren’t in a rush to become a championship contender, as GM John Hammond explains to Lee. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Lavoy Allen new three-year, $12.05MM contract with the Pacers includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). That bonus is spread evenly across his cap hits for each season, so the net effect is that if the Pacers trade him, the team acquiring him would pay him $500K less per season, though his cap number would stay the same, as Pincus explains.
The third season of of the three-year deal Rakeem Christmas signed with the Pacers is partially guaranteed for $50K, and the fourth season contains both a team option and a partial guarantee of $52,064, Pincus tweets. The precise value of the deal is $4.3MM, as Pincus shows on the Pacers salary page, resolving conflicting reports from earlier.
Shayne Whittington will see the minimum salary on both years of his new deal with the Pacers, Pincus adds (Twitter link).
The Pistons traded Quincy Miller to the Nets this month because of a roster crunch in the frontcourt, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes in a mailbag column. Pistons coach/exec Stan Van Gundy opted to parlay him for Steve Blake to reinforce the point guard position, given the uncertainty over whether Brandon Jennings, still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, will be ready to start the season. Miller was far from a lock to make the opening night roster in Detroit, Langlois adds.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Pacers, Allen, Bucks

July 29th, 2015 at 10:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this month, the Pacers and Lavoy Allen reached agreement on deal that will keep the big man in Indiana for next season and beyond. Indiana shelled out the money to keep Allen, in part, because they want to pick up the pace on offense.

“That’s one of the main reasons they brought me back was the talk about playing more uptempo,” Allen told Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. “I think that will really benefit us with the people we have — the shooters and bigs who can run.”

Still, Allen is one of six bigs – or seven, counting Paul George at power forward – on the Pacers and it’s not clear how much time he’ll see on the court. Allen, like the Pacers’ fans, says he’s curious to see how it all shakes out. Here’s more from the Central Division..

Rising sophomore Shayne Whittington envisions the recently re-signed Allen as having a breakout year for the Pacers, Candace Buckner of the Indy Star writes. “I know we brought Lavoy in for a reason, he’s a great rebounder. He’s a great offensive presence, he can shoot the ball very well. Ian is one of our best defensive assets that we have. I personally think that he’s going to blow up this year if he gets that starting spot. His confidence will skyrocket if he gets that.“
Between the success of the arena plan and the team’s basketball moves, Bucks owner Wes Edens said, “I think our offseason was a 10. We’re undefeated in the offseason,” Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel tweets. On Tuesday, the Bucks’ arena plan cleared a major hurdle.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter) has the details on Rakeem Christmas‘s deal with the Pacers. Christmas’ deal is fully guaranteed for two years with a $50K guarantee in year three and a team option on year four. If that fourth-year option is exercised, then he’ll have a $52K guarantee.

Contract Details: Powell, Mavs, Barton, Pacers

July 28th, 2015 at 9:18pm CST by Charlie Adams

The terms of a contract between a newly acquired player and his team aren’t always immediately clear since clubs typically don’t release salary figures in official signing announcements. Below are some specifics on recently inked deals, all courtesy of Basketball Insiders’ Eric Pincus:

The precise value of No. 46 pick Norman Powell‘s three-year deal with the Raptors is $2,539,382, as Pincus shows (via Twitter). This season’s salary is the only one that exceeds the minimum.
Newly acquired Mavericks swingman John Jenkins’ 2015/16 minimum salary is fully guaranteed, according to Pincus (Twitter link), who also confirms Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork’s report that recent Dallas signee Maurice Ndour’s minimum-contract is guaranteed for the upcoming year.
Will Barton will make precisely $10,590,000 over the course of his new three-year deal with the Nuggets, Pincus relays on Twitter.
The Pacers’ three-year deal with Lavoy Allen is worth a total of $12.05MM, but it includes a team option in the final year of the deal, as Pincus notes on his salary page for Indiana.
Glenn Robinson III’s starting salary with the Pacers is for slightly above the minimum at $1.1MM, Pincus tweets. The minimum salary for a player with GRIII’s experience would be $845,059, as our glossary entry for the minimum salary exception shows.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.