Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Notes: Mathurin, Turner, Walker, Wiseman, Furphy

October 2nd, 2024 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Bennedict Mathurin had a hand in the Pacers‘ regular season success in 2023/24, but his season ended in early March due to a labrum tear, meaning he had to watch from the sidelines as his team won two playoff series and got within four wins of the NBA Finals.

“It was kind of tough to see that,” Mathurin said at the Pacers’ media day on Monday, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “It was good for the team, and it was good because it puts me back to myself and it kind of humbled me a little bit because we had such success.”

Mathurin started the first 12 games of the ’23/24 campaign before moving to the bench for most of the rest of the season. Given that the Pacers played some of their best basketball with the former lottery pick in the second unit, he’ll likely come off the bench again this fall, which he says is just fine.

“I don’t think I have any expectations for a role,” Mathurin said. “I’m not going to be joining the team back and saying, ‘This is my role on the team.’ It’s pretty much, whatever I can do to help my team win, whatever it is, so be it. That’s the main thing for me, just help my team win.”

Whether Mathurin is part of the starting five or a key part of the second unit, star Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is looking forward to having his teammate on the court again this fall.

“I’m so excited to get him back,” Haliburton said. “I think an interesting part of last year is it was presented as a lot of teams (in the playoffs) were hurt, as if our best bench scorer was not. I’m excited to get him back. I think seeing him get that success and knowing how competitive he is and he wasn’t playing lights a fire under one of the most hard-headed, motivated people I know.”

Here’s more out of Indiana:

Pacers center Myles Turner has been involved in trade rumors off and on since arriving in Indiana and has never felt totally secure on the roster, so he’s not stressing about the fact that he’s entering a contract year without the ability to extend his contract prior to free agency in July, Dopirak writes for The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). “I can’t help but laugh,” Turner said. “I’m gonna keep it a stack. Every year at Indiana has been a contract year at this point, whether you’re fighting rumors or staying true to your grind and what not. I don’t really feel too much different.” General manager Chad Buchanan said last week that the Pacers are “big believers” in Turner and want to retain him beyond 2024/25.
Noting that Jarace Walker showed up to camp slimmer and in better condition than a year ago, Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) explores what last year’s eighth overall pick will have to do to earn playing time in his second NBA season. With Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin at power forward, Walker’s best chance to earn minutes could come at small forward, barring injuries.
Offseason addition James Wiseman has been limited during the early days of training camp due to a groin issue, while second-round pick Johnny Furphy tweaked both of his ankles, according to Dopirak (Twitter links). The Pacers will take a day off from practicing on Thursday to help allow some of the players with minor ailments to heal, per head coach Rick Carlisle.

Pacers Waive Josiah-Jordan James

September 29th, 2024 at 3:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pacers have announced in a press statement that they’ve waived guard Josiah-Jordan James just ahead of training camp.

The 6’6″ Tennessee alum agreed to an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with Indiana shortly after he was skipped over in this year’s draft, but the deal wasn’t officially completed by the team until this week.

James enjoyed a successful 144 contests in Tennessee from 2019-24 and was a key part of the Vols’ Elite Eight squad this past spring. Across 36 contests (all starts) in 2023/24, James averaged 8.4 points, 6.4 boards and 1.9 assists per contest, with a shooting line of .402/.341/.831.

Reporting in June indicated James would have a chance to earn a two-way contract with the Pacers, but now that he’s been cut, it seems likely he’ll suit up for the team’s NBAGL affiliate squad, the Indiana Mad Ants.

As an Exhibit 10 signee, James will be able to earn a bonus worth as much as $77.5K should he stick with the Mad Ants for at least 60 days.

Pacers Adding Jahlil Okafor On Training Camp Deal

September 28th, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jahlil Okafor has reached an agreement with the Pacers on a training camp contract, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old center, who was selected by Philadelphia with the third pick in the 2015 draft, gets a chance to return to the NBA after three years away. Pacers officials watched him in workouts over the summer and were impressed by his conditioning level, Charania adds.

Okafor has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.

Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate at the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade on Friday.

Okafor averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in his first season and finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting, but he wasn’t able to sustain that level of success. He was traded to Brooklyn after a little more than two seasons with the Sixers, and played two years in New Orleans before moving on to Detroit.

The Pacers only have 12 players in camp with fully guaranteed contracts, so Okafor should have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot. They will be at the offseason limit of 21 players once his signing becomes official.

Pacers Waive Polley, Tominaga; Sign James

September 27th, 2024 at 4:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have waived forward Tyler Polley and guard Keisei Tominaga, according to a team press release.

Polley signed an Exhibit 10 contract on Thursday and Tominaga inked a similar deal this week. Assuming they clear waivers, they’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with the G League’s Indiana Mad Ants.

Polley, a former UConn forward, has spent his first two professional seasons playing in the Greek Basketball League. He played last season for Kolossos, averaging 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds on .442/.347/.795 shooting in 21 games (25.6 minutes).

Tominaga, an undrafted guard, averaged 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.1 minutes per game across 32 outings (all starts) for Nebraska in 2023/24.

In an additional move, the team signed guard Josiah-Jordan James to an Exhibit 10 contract. The Pacers agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with James shortly after he went undrafted out of Tennessee.

James appeared in 144 games with the Volunteers and helped Tennessee reach the Elite Eight this year for the second time in program history. He appeared in 36 games last season, averaging 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.2 minutes per night while shooting 40.2% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range.

Reporting in June suggested James was expected to compete for a two-way deal. However, Indiana has already filled all three spots and say in today’s release that he’ll be joining the Mad Ants, which suggests he’ll be waived before the NBA season begins.

And-Ones: G League Trade, Brissett, Future Power Rankings, Lowe

September 27th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ and Pacers‘ G League affiliates have completed a trade involving a former No. 3 overall NBA draft pick, per a press release from the Valley Suns. Phoenix’s new affiliate acquired the returning rights to guard David Stockton from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to forward Garrison Brooks and former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor.

Brooks and Okafor were among the Suns’ picks in June’s expansion draft, but it’s unclear if either one intends to play in the G League at all in 2024/25 — they both competed overseas last season.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Free agent swingman Oshae Brissett is believed to be drawing interest from a EuroLeague team, according to a report from Sportske.net. As Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays, the Serbian outlet says that the Belgrade-based club Crvena Zvezda has its eye on Brissett as a potential target. The five-year NBA veteran, who won a title last season with the Celtics, has been on the lookout for a new home since he turned down his player option with Boston in June.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link) have published the latest installment of their annual “future power rankings,” which are based on each team’s projected on-court success for the next three seasons. The Thunder top this year’s version of the list, while the Celtics drop from No. 1 to No. 2 despite their 2024 championship, since their salary cap situation may get untenable in the near future. The Knicks (third) Sixers (fourth), Mavericks (fifth), Rockets (seventh), Timberwolves (eighth), and Spurs (10th) each rose five or more spots to claim a place in ESPN’s top 10.
Howard Beck of The Ringer sorts the NBA’s 30 teams into six separate tiers based on how clear their plans are going forward. The Nets and Wizards, in full-on rebuilds, are among the teams in the “ever-clear” top tier along with championship hopefuls like the Mavericks and Sixers, while clubs with less obvious goals, like the Hawks, Bulls, and Raptors, find themselves in the lowest “fun-house mirror” tier.
ESPN has laid off senior writer Zach Lowe, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Lowe is the second noteworthy NBA reporter to depart the network in recent weeks, joining Adrian Wojnarowski, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from the news industry last week.

Keisei Tominaga Signs Exhibit 10 Contract With Pacers

September 26th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The agreement is now official, per a Pacers announcement.

JULY 5: Undrafted Japanese guard Keisei Tominaga has agreed to join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Tominaga, who initially declared for the draft in 2023 before returning to Nebraska for his “super-senior” season, averaged 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.1 minutes per game across 32 outings (all starts) for the Cornhuskers in 2023/24. A strong outside shooter, he made 37.6% of 6.3 three-point attempts per contest after knocking down 40.0% of his threes a year earlier.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Tominaga is the second undrafted rookie to reach an agreement on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers — they’re also bringing aboard Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James.

Pacers Sign Tyler Polley To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 26th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Maher

SEPTEMBER 26: The deal is now official, per a Pacers announcement.

SEPTEMBER 20: Former UConn forward Tyler Polley is signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers, agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Polley, 25, went undrafted in 2022 after five college seasons with the Huskies. As a “super senior” in 2021/22, he appeared in 33 games, averaging 7.6 points while shooting 35.0% from three point range in 20.2 minutes.

Polley has spent his first two professional seasons playing in the Greek Basketball League. He played last season for Kolossos, averaging 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds on .442/.347/.795 shooting in 21 games (25.6 minutes). According to Begley, the free agent forward recently worked out in Las Vegas, with the Pacers and Knicks among the teams in attendance.

Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed, minimum-salary deals that do not count against the salary cap before the season begins. If Polley is waived by the Pacers prior to the ’24/25 campaign and spends at least 60 days with the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ NBA G League affiliate, he could earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his regular NBAGL salary.

The Pacers have 19 players on their offseason roster, two shy of the offseason limit, so they can add Polley without waiving anyone.

Central Notes: Livingston, Mathurin, Pacers, Pistons Rotation

September 25th, 2024 at 9:26pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Still just 20 years old, Bucks forward Chris Livingston has a year of professional ball under his belt after being the final pick of the 2023 draft. Despite being a contending team with few available minutes for a rookie, the Bucks showed their confidence in Livingston by giving him a multiyear deal when many players drafted before him received two-way offers.

Now, Livingston is hoping for more minutes with Milwaukee to help the team take another step forward, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes in a subscriber-only story.

“It’s a fine line between being hungry and also being realistic, I guess you could put it like that,” Livingston said. “Me, believing in myself and believing in my game but also staying patient and understanding that things take time. Whether that’s carving out a role, earning the trust from the coaching staff – especially since we had a new coaching staff the second half of the season anyway – so just continuing to be patient and just learn throughout the process and understand this is what it’s going to be and just making the most of my situation.”

Livingston averaged 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 37.1% on three-pointers in 21 contests with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League last season. According to Owczarski, the 20-year-old worked a ton on his all-around game this offseason. He’ll join the likes of Andre Jackson Jr., A.J. Green, MarJon Beauchamp and the Bucks’ rookies — AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith — as young players hoping to break into the rotation.

We have more from the Central Division:

Bennedict Mathurin earned All-Rookie honors in 2022/23 and joined the starting lineup as the season wore on. Last year, he began the season in the starting lineup but was removed mid-year. Having torn his labrum in March, Mathurin missed the rest of the season and finished with just 19 starts. According to IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak, the Pacers say they’re pleased with Mathurin’s progress, but they don’t think he has to be a part of the starting lineup to make an impact. “He wants to feel like he’s contributing,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said on Tuesday. “I think he recognizes, ‘Hey, we found a group last year that plays well together.’ He’s got to figure, ‘Where do I fit into that group. Is it trying to fit in as a starter? Is it being a primary scorer off the bench? What is that role?’ I think a lot of that is determined in training camp. … His role is to be determined, and it’s in his hands.” Mathurin will be extension-eligible next offseason.
If Mathurin returns and continues getting better and the Pacers are able to improve their defense, they’ll be a strong contender to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, Gregg Doyel of IndyStar opines (subscriber link). Indiana returns most of the core that went to the ECF this past spring.
The Pistons’ starting lineup heading into the year seems uncertain outside of Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. Jalen Duren makes sense to hold down the middle, while Malik Beasley and Ausar Thompson could add shooting and perimeter defense, respectively. Langlois also speculates on what Detroit’s second unit could look like.

Pacers GM Hoping To Retain Turner Beyond This Season

September 24th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers are hoping to re-sign starting center Myles Turner next offseason, general manager Chad Buchanan told the media on Tuesday.

“We’re big believers in Myles,” Buchanan said. “We want him to be here.”

Turner, who will make $19,928,500 this season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Complicating matters for Indiana is that Turner will not become extension-eligible before free agency.

As Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out, when Turner signed a two-year contract extension in January 2023, he and the Pacers also renegotiated of the final year of his previous contract. Typically, players become extension-eligible on the two-year anniversary of their previous signing, but renegotiating a contract pushes that timeline to three years.

The Pacers will have a small window after the NBA Finals to negotiate with Turner before other teams can come calling, thanks to a new rule allowing teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents between the end of the Finals and June 30.

Turner is an impact player at both ends of the floor. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game last season. He has led the league in blocks twice and is also a respectable three-point shooter (35.4% for his career).

“His development fit with (coach Rick Carlisle’s) system,” Buchanan said. “He fit with our point guards. Fit with Pascal. You see how he seamlessly fits into the way we play.”

Re-signing Turner may not be a simple process, as Indiana has long-term salary cap concerns. Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam are on maximum-salary contracts, while forward Obi Toppin and guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell each signed long-term deals worth eight figures annually this offseason.

The Pacers will likely have to exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26 to pay Turner market value and retain their core group.

Eastern Notes: Stewart, Pistons, Krauskopf, Heat Arena

September 23rd, 2024 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Mitchell Robinson now targeting December or January for his return to action from ankle surgery, the Knicks are seeking more depth in the middle, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

New York has spent a good portion of the last few months scouring the league for another frontcourt player, Edwards reports. One of those potential targets is the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart.

Stewart’s four-year, $60MM extension kicks in this season and includes a club option. He’s expected to fight for playing time at both power forward and center for the revamped Pistons.

The Pistons received numerous inquiries on Stewart before he signed the extension. Injuries limited him to 46 games last season.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

Speaking of the Pistons and Stewart, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) examines three position battles heading into Detroit’s camp. That includes Stewart and Jalen Duren squaring off for the starting center job. There will also be camp battles for backup point minutes behind Cade Cunningham, as well as numerous candidates elbowing for playing time at the forward spots.
Kelly Krauskopf is leaving her post as the Pacers’ assistant GM to become the president of basketball and business operations for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star relays via a press release from Pacers Sports and Entertainment. Krauskopf was the Fever’s president and GM from the team’s inception in 2000 until 2018. She was then hired by the Pacers and became the first woman in league history to hold an executive basketball management role. “I want to thank (Pacers president) Kevin Pritchard for asking me to join his management staff six years ago. There’s no doubt that experience will serve me well as I enter this next chapter,” she said.
Kaseya Center, the current name of the Heat‘s home arena, has undergone a series of multimillion-dollar facility upgrades, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. The arena upgrades include a new scoreboard, new lighting and audio systems and a new retractable seating system in the lower bowl. The upgrades were made this summer.