Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Hibbert, Crawford, Cousins, Evans

July 28th, 2015 at 3:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers trade acquisition Roy Hibbert is excited to play for coach Byron Scott, and while he cautioned that he has nothing against Pacers coach Frank Vogel, the center made it clear as he spoke with TNT’s David Aldridge that his preference this summer was to end up on a team with a former player as coach. Hibbert also expressed his unwavering sentiment for Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird, even though Bird strongly signaled to the media this spring that he was ready to move on from the former All-Star.

Larry was very up front with me,” Hibbert said. “He said before the press conference that I can’t promise you minutes next year, and they wanted to go in a different direction. So it wasn’t like what happened came out of nowhere, what he said. I’ll always say that Larry changed my life. I was on the phone with my agent in the office during the [2009] draft process and Larry said ‘If Roy’s there at 17, we’ll take him.’ That meant a lot to me. I know that things change and the NBA is ‘What have you done for me lately?,’ but I could never say a bad thing about Larry or the Pacers organization.”

We had more on Hibbert’s old team earlier today, and now here’s the latest on his new team’s division rivals:

The Clippers aren’t anxious to trade Jamal Crawford, but trade rumors from earlier this summer, his exclusion from the team’s DeAndre Jordan recruiting effort, and the addition of newcomers at his position are inauspicious signs for his future with the team, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register examines. Crawford seems to be wondering about whether the Clippers still appreciate him, and that doesn’t auger well for team chemistry if he’s still on the roster at the start of the season, Woike believes.
DeMarcus Cousins is a major fan of Reggie Evans, notes Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops, who writes amid a look at the top remaining free agents. Evans, who spent the last season and a half with the Kings, remains unsigned.
Quincy Acy has a non-guaranteed salary on the second season of his new two-year deal with the Kings instead of a player option, as had previously been reported, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Undrafted rookie Duje Dukan‘s two-year deal with the Kings is for the minimum salary, Pincus shows on the same page.

Central Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Pacers

July 27th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers traded Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller to the Trail Blazers mainly to add two exceptions and expand their trade options, even though they will save millions in luxury tax, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Cleveland believes teams are more willing to make mid-season trades and the exceptions it picked up on Monday — $10.5MM for Haywood and $2.85MM for Miller — gives it some flexibility to make those moves, Pluto continues. The Cavs’ salary cap concerns would have made any trade next season much more difficult without those exceptions, though they cannot be combined, Pluto adds.

In other news around the Central Division:

Second-round pick Sir’Dominic Pointer is a longshot to end up on the Cavs roster this year, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes in his story on the Haywood deal. Cleveland drafted the small forward from St. John’s 53rd overall last month.
Reggie Jackson was convinced he would re-sign with the Pistons when they helped him with a family crisis, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. When Jackson found out his father Saul had a diabetic seizure in March, the organization flew Jackson on the team plane to Colorado to visit him, the story continues. That made a lasting impression on Jackson, who didn’t consider any other teams before signing a five-year, $80MM deal as a restricted free agent to remain with the club. “I think I knew then I didn’t need to be nowhere else,” Jackson said to Ellis. “In my mind I was already here, but that kind of solidified it. There was no need to even play around and do free agency. I was good.”
Only the first year of Glenn Robinson III‘s three-year contract with the Pacers is guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Robinson will make $1.1MM this season, then $1.05MM in 2016/17 and $1.09MM in 2017/18 in the non-guaranteed years, Pincus adds. The signing was officially announced on Monday.

Pacers Re-Sign Lavoy Allen

July 27th, 2015 at 2:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 27TH, 2:17pm: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.

“We think he’s ready to step in and play more minutes at two different positions,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “This is a great opportunity for him to play night in and night out at a high level.”

9:22pm: Allen’s deal will be worth a total of approximately $12MM, Spears tweets.

JULY 2ND, 7:12pm: The Pacers and free agent Lavoy Allen have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The pact is for three years, and includes a team option for the final season, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). The Clippers were also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old’s services.

In 63 appearances for Indiana last season, Allen averaged 5.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, with a slash line of .472/.000/.702. His career numbers are 5.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG. His career shooting numbers are .459/.143/.702.

Allen was the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6’9″ forward began his career with the Sixers before being included in the deal that brought Evan Turner to the Pacers.

Pacers Sign Rakeem Christmas

July 27th, 2015 at 2:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:06pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

1:01pm: The Pacers haven’t formally announced the deal yet, but their official team Twitter account passed along a tweet from Christmas that depicts him signing his contract.

MONDAY, 9:32am: The final two seasons are partially guaranteed, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM, who hears the deal is for $4.3MM, slightly less than the $4.5MM originally reported (Twitter link)

THURSDAY, 6:14pm: The Pacers and rookie Rakeem Christmas have reached an agreement on a contract, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (on Twitter). The pact is for four-years and $4.5MM, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed, Haynes adds. Christmas was the No. 36 overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft.

Christmas’ draft rights had been acquired from the Cavaliers earlier today in exchange for the 2019 second round pick that Indiana garnered from the Lakers in the Roy Hibbert trade. Cleveland reportedly made the deal for Christmas in order to acquire a draft pick that it could use to help flip Brendan Haywood‘s uniquely valuable non-guaranteed contract.

The 23-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks to go with a slash line of .560/.000/.681 during his four years spent at Syracuse. Christmas logged 17.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG during his senior season.

Pacers Sign Glenn Robinson III

July 27th, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

MONDAY, 2:02pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

“Glenn comes to us with a set of skills we think will blend in with our team,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “We expect him to be very good on the defensive end and he can score the ball. We look forward to seeing him improve throughout the year.”

SATURDAY, 11:48am: Glenn Robinson III has agreed to a three-year contract with the Pacers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Agents Austin Brown and Aaron Mintz of CAA informed Wojnarowski of the agreement.

Robinson, 21, became an unrestricted free agent after the Sixers declined to make him a qualifying offer. The 6’7” swingman appeared in 35 games last season. He averaged 1.2 points in 25 games for the Timberwolves, who waived him in March. He averaged 4.4 points in 10 games after the Sixers claimed him.

The Pacers still have some cap space left even with the addition of Robinson III because they have yet to make their deal with Lavoy Allen official, former Nets executive Bobby Marks tweets.

Robinson will have to fight for playing time at the wing positions with Paul George, Monta Ellis, Chase Budinger, Solomon Hill and C.J. Miles.

Robinson declared for 2014 draft after his sophomore season with the University of Michigan and was taken with the 40th overall pick by Minnesota.

Pacers Re-Sign Shayne Whittington

July 27th, 2015 at 1:59pm CST by Will Joseph

1:59pm: The deal is official, the Pacers announced.

“Shayne has been with us for more than a year and shown us a lot of good things,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “He has grown as a player, has improved and we expect him to continue to do so to be a part of what we do. He’s a hard worker with a variety of skills for a big man.”

JULY 27TH, 10:37am: It’ll be a two-year deal with the first season fully guaranteed, Shade tells Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

JULY 12TH, 7:56pm: The Pacers and forward Shayne Whittington have agreed to a one-year, guaranteed contract, reports RealGM’s Shams Charania, who spoke with Whittington’s agent, Ron Shade (Twitter link).

Whittington is a restricted free agent. In April, the Pacers assigned Whittington to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League. It was the forward’s second trip to Fort Wayne last season.

Whittington, 24, averaged 2.9 points per game and only appeared in 20 games without making a start.

Eastern Notes: Larkin, Stuckey, Copeland

July 24th, 2015 at 8:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets believe that the right system can bring out the potential that made Shane Larkin a first round pick back in 2013, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “I talked to [GM] Billy [King] and Lionel [Hollins] as soon as free agency started, and they told me they wanted me to come in and just play my game,” Larkin said. “I’m more of a pick-and-roll guy, up and down. “And that’s the thing they told me they wanted me to come in and do. For them to tell me they wanted me to come in push the tempo, bring some energy to the team, that was everything I wanted to hear.”

Larkin admits to having been uncomfortable playing in the Knicks‘ triangle offense last season, Youngmisuk adds. “I mean the triangle is a good offense if you have the type of players that fit within that offense,” Larkin said. “And I don’t feel like it was the best offense for me. I’m not talking bad about it. It’s a great offense. I wish them nothing but the best.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The presence of former teammate Jason Kidd as coach was a major factor for Chris Copeland‘s decision to sign with the Bucks, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes. “The biggest hook for me was Jason Kidd, by far,” Copeland said. “Obviously, he was a friend of mine before all this. He was a great mentor for me in New York and someone I continue to grow under. An incredible mind on and off the floor.”
The final season of Jordan Mickey‘s four-year pact with the Celtics is a non-guaranteed team option, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Brazilian big man Cristiano Felicio‘s contract with the Bulls is a two-year deal, and he will earn $525,093 in 2015/16 and $874,636 the following season, with both years non-guaranteed, Pincus relays (Twitter link).
Rodney Stuckey‘s three-year contract with the Pacers will see him earn $7MM each season, and includes a player option for the final year, Pincus relays (on Twitter).

Pacers Acquire Rakeem Christmas From Cavs

July 23rd, 2015 at 4:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pacers have acquired the rights to rookie forward Rakeem Christmas from the Cavaliers, the team has announced via a press release. Heading to Cleveland in the deal is the 2019 second round pick that Indiana acquired from the Lakers in the Roy Hibbert trade. “We really liked Rakeem when he came in for pre-draft workouts,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “He is a solid player who was a contributor all four years at Syracuse and we look forward to having him on our team.”

Christmas, the No. 36 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, had been acquired by the Cavs on draft night from the Timberwolves in exchange for the rights to Duke point guard Tyus Jones. Cleveland did not sign Christmas to a rookie contract prior to shipping him to Indiana. Thus, the Pacers will have to negotiate a deal with Christmas before he joins the team.

The 23-year-old spent four seasons playing for Syracuse, and his career numbers with the Orangemen were 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks to go with a slash line of .560/.000/.681. Christmas saved his best work for his senior campaign, when he logged 17.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG.

Pacers Re-Sign Rodney Stuckey

July 21st, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 21ST, 2:13pm: The deal is official, the Pacers announced.

“I felt all along it was important to re-sign Rodney,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in the team’s statement. “He proved to us last year how much he could help. He’s a pro and a good teammate. We’re really happy to have him back. He added a lot to our team, on and off the court.”

JULY 5TH, 1:14pm: The Pacers and Rodney Stuckey have reached an agreement in principle on a deal worth $21MM over three years, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Year three is a player option, Charania adds.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Stuckey, 29, averaged 12.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 26.4 minutes per contest last season for Indiana. He put up a PER of 15.4, which was more or less in line with his career efficiency average (15.3). Stuckey moved on from the Pistons, where he spent the first seven years of his career, when he signed a one-year deal with the Pacers last summer. After earning the veteran’s minimum in 2014/15, Stuckey has gotten a significant raise on his new deal.

This summer, Stuckey has picked up free agent interest from teams including the Cavs, Rockets, and Kings. Right before the official start of free agency, Candace Buckner of the Indy Star reported that at least five teams had their eye on the guard. At the time, an anonymous basketball insider told Buckner that he believed Stuckey had a bad reputation that was not at all accurate.

“Moody, can’t be coached, bad guy, can’t win with him,” said an Eastern Conference official, repeating the circulated gossip. “Anybody that really knows him, would know … he’s one of the most misunderstood guys in the league.”

Stuckey is represented by Leon Rose of Creative Artists Agency, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

Central Notes: Butler, Ellis, Young

July 17th, 2015 at 9:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There had been rumblings toward the end of the 2014/15 season that there was tension between Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose, with Rose supposedly becoming frustrated with Butler’s expanded offensive role with the Bulls, rumblings that Butler categorizes as false, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “I think he’s always been supportive of me being aggressive, especially on offense,” Butler said. “We all know that I’ll be the aggressor on defense. So from what I can tell, the guy’s always been in my corner.”

The swingman believes the only reason his relationship with Rose was even discussed is because of Chicago’s season ending on a disappointing note in the NBA playoffs, Friedell adds. “The only reason that it came up is because we lost,” Butler said. “I don’t think we have any beef or whatever you want to call it. I think we just want to win. We didn’t win, so now [people say] we’re beefing, now we have a problem with each other, and I don’t think that’s the case.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The league has temporarily disallowed the four-year deal worth approximately $44MM that Monta Ellis inked with the Pacers, Zach Lowe of Grantland reports in a series of tweets. Lowe is quick to stress that Ellis will indeed become a member of the team, but Indiana simply ran out of necessary cap room, and will need to change the order in which some other transactions are finalized to make Ellis’ deal work.
The salaries that Ellis is set to earn with that Pacers contract are $10.3MM this coming season, $10,763,500 in 2016/17, $11.227MM in 2017/18, and he has a player option for the final season worth $11,690,500, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Pacers 2015 second-rounder Joseph Young will be paid $1,007,026 and $1,052,342 the first two years of his deal, both of which are fully guaranteed, and $1,097,658, which is non-guaranteed, during the 2017/18 campaign, Pincus relays, adding that a fourth season, worth $1,142,974, is a team option (Twitter link).