Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Poll: Will Paul George Sign A Max Extension?

September 20th, 2013 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

While there were a few rumors linking Paul George to the Lakers earlier this offseason, that always seemed to be wishful thinking on the part of L.A. fans, rather than a realistic scenario. Even if he were to hit the open market next summer, George would be a restricted free agent, meaning the Pacers could match any offer sheet he signs. And with Danny Granger's big contract set to come off the books in 2014, there's no reason why Indiana wouldn't have matched any offer for George.

However, it looks like it won't even come to that. George recently indicated that he plans to ink a new long-term extension with the Pacers before the season begins. The two sides are still negotiating, but they appear on track to get something done before the Halloween deadline.

The question now becomes what sort of deal George will sign. The rising star was named the league's Most Improved Player this past spring, and at age 23, there's still plenty of room for further growth. I'd be a little surprised if he ever won an MVP award, but when we posed that question in a June poll, over 38% of the respondents said they believe he'll earn that honor at some point — those results at least show that it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

In other words, in a league where Eric Gordon receives a maximum-salary contract offer coming off an injury-plagued season, there's little doubt that George would receive the same sort of offer as a free agent. But will the small-market Pacers be willing to guarantee him that much money ahead of free agency? If so, you might assume the two sides would've already finalized an agreement. After all, it didn't take long for John Wall to ink his maximum-salary extension with the Wizards. A year ago, Blake Griffin signed his max deal with the Clippers as soon as free agency opened, and James Harden finalized his own max extension with the Rockets immediately after the team acquired him.

Of course, money likely won't be the only sticking point in contract talks. The Pacers will also have the option of offering George a five-year extension, making him the franchise's designated player. As we explain in our glossary entry on designated players, that means the team couldn't give a five-year rookie-scale extension to another player during the duration of George's new contract.

At this point, there are no candidates for that designated player tag on the Pacers' roster besides George, unless Solomon Hill is a lot better than we think. So my guess is that Indiana gives George that fifth year, and he compromises by agreeing to sign for a little less than the max — perhaps something in the five-year, $70MM range gets it done.

As we wait to see what sort of compromises the two sides are willing to make, let's get your thoughts. Where do you think George and the Pacers will eventually land?

Eastern Notes: George, Pacers, Deng

September 19th, 2013 at 7:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Hoopsworld's Yannis Koutroupis explores the possible implications from a potential contract extension for Paul George and suggests that Danny Granger has now become an expendable piece. Losing Lance Stephenson - who is coming off of a career year and may have likely played himself out of Indiana's price range next summer – would be a bitter pill to swallow, opines Koutroupis. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference:

Granger believes that Indiana can contend for a title next season and calls the addition of Luis Scola "our biggest free agent pickup" (Scott Agness of NBA.com).
ESPN's Chad Ford (via Twitter) notes that Luol Deng has been working out at BYU-Hawaii over the last several weeks and says that the Bulls forward appears to be in fantastic shape.
Erildas Budraitis of RealGM catches up with CSKA Moscow's Jeremy Pargo, who last played for the 76ers and Cavaliers during the 2012/13 season. The 6'2" point guard admitted that he probably won't think of returning to the NBA for another one or two years and calls his exit from Cleveland "unfortunate."
Earlier today, Yahoo's Marc J. Spears reported that Cavs number one overall pick Anthony Bennett resumed playing five-on-five basketball this week.
Nets star Deron Williams is even more eager to get the season started after hearing head coach Jason Kidd and teammate Jason Terry say they expect him to be a part of the MVP conversation in 2013/14 (link via Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report).
Despite NBA commissioner David Stern's recent efforts to quell tension between the Knicks and Nets owners, the players don't seem to be necessarily following suit. When Paul Pierce was asked today about J.R. Smith calling him a bitter person recently, the Brooklyn forward tersely responded with "Who? Who are we talking about right now? Exactly" (Tim Bontempts of the New York Post).

Paul George Plans To Sign Extension With Pacers

September 18th, 2013 at 3:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have until October 31st to reach an agreement on a new contract for Paul George, avoiding going through the process of restricted free agency next summer. And according to George, he and the team plan to work out an extension by that Halloween deadline.

"[A long-term contract] is going to get done," George told Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. "There will be a deal signed and sealed on the table before the season. We’re on the same page."

Pacers president Larry Bird also expressed optimism this week about getting something done before the season, according to Pointer. Bird noted that it would remove a potential distraction from the equation, and give George some long-term security.

"We are working it on it now," Bird said. "We’ve got a way set up where we definitely think we can get something done, but it’s going to have to work for both parties."

Because the Pacers would have the ability to match any rival offer sheet George signed in the summer of 2014, there has never been any real concern that the rising star would leave Indianapolis anytime soon. However, it wasn't clear whether the two sides would be able to reach an extension agreement this offseason, or whether George would hit the open market next July.

As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined George's extension candidacy earlier this summer, the 23-year-old would certainly receive a four-year maximum salary offer in free agency. As such, Indiana will likely have to offer something in that neighborhood, unless the former 10th overall pick is willing to take a discount. We'll have to wait and see what sort of deal is reached by George and the Pacers, but perhaps the club could offer a fifth year in exchange for the CAA client accepting slightly less than the max.

George was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2012/13, when he set career-highs in PPG (17.4), RPG (7.6), PER (16.8), and several other categories. He also helped lead the Pacers to within one game of the NBA Finals, even without the injured Danny Granger.

So far this offseason, two players eligible for rookie-scale extensions have inked new deals: John Wall signed a five-year max contract with the Wizards, while Larry Sanders reached a four-year, $44MM agreement with the Bucks.

Pacers Sign Darnell Jackson

September 10th, 2013 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers announced a pair of signings in a press release today, as the team moves toward solidifying its roster for training camp. In addition to signing Ron Howard, whose agreement we heard about last month, Indiana also reached an agreement with Darnell Jackson, according to the release.

Jackson, 27, was selected in the second round of the 2008 draft, and has played for the Cavaliers, Bucks, and Kings in 138 total NBA contests. Since his last NBA action, which came for Sacramento in 2010/11, the 6'8" forward has played in Ukraine, China, and the D-League. In 19 games for the Reno Bighorns last season, Jackson averaged 13.8 PPG and 6.7 RPG. He participated in Utah's training camp last fall.

The signings of Howard and Jackson officially bring the Pacers' roster counts to 15 players, though our count has the team at 16, which includes a reported agreement with Rasual Butler. Although Indiana didn't announce Butler's deal today, there's no indication that it has fallen through. Assuming Jackson and Howard didn't receive any guaranteed salary, those two players, along with Butler, should compete in camp to earn a regular-season roster spot.

Kyler’s Latest: Pacers, Granger, Clippers, Thunder

September 9th, 2013 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

With only a handful of teams remaining in his offseason look at trade situations to watch, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld focuses today on the Pacers, Clippers, and Thunder. Let's dive in and check out the highlights from Kyler's NBA AM piece…

While there's still a belief in some circles that the Pacers will try to trade Danny Granger this season, Kyler says that's not necessarily the case. There's almost no scenario in which Indiana could trade Granger's $14MM+ expiring contract and avoid taking back long-term salary, so the Pacers likely prefer to keep the veteran forward and let him help the club contend in 2013/14. Clearing his contract from the books next summer will free up money for players like Paul George and Lance Stephenson.
If the Pacers have injury problems during the season, their stance on Granger and other players could change, but for now it appears that the team will stand relatively pat, believing the roster is strong enough to contend for the title.
The Clippers are currently in luxury-tax territory, but only by about $1.5MM. If the team were to cut Maalik Wayns' non-guaranteed contract and move a player like Willie Green, it could slip below the tax. The Clips may have to give up an asset or two (such as cash or draft picks) to facilitate a deal. But L.A. has enough depth, particularly on the perimeter, that giving up a player to get below the tax line shoudn't hurt the club's on-court production.
With Kevin Martin no longer in OKC, the Thunder will be searching for a reliable third scorer behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The team would probably prefer to see a player from within, such as Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson or Jeremy Lamb, emerge as that third scorer. However, OKC also has several young inexpensive players that could be used as trade chips if necessary, including Perry Jones III, Andre Roberson, and Steven Adams.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Pierce, Williams

September 8th, 2013 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links

We learned earlier today that the Heat are bringing Justin Hamilton to camp, which wasn't a huge surprise since the former LSU big man has been working out at AmericanAirlines Arena for the last few weeks. Hamilton had his moments with the Heat during the 2012 offseason, after he was acquired in a draft-night trade with the 76ers, leading some on the Heat staff at the time to see him as a more promising prospect than Jarvis Varnado. However, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes that Hamilton still faces long camp odds with Greg Oden already something of a long-term developmental project and the Heat possibly keeping the minimum of 13 players to start the year. Hamilton's chances of making the team could also rest on the Heat's ability to move Joel Anthony's pesky contract. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference..

The Central Division is one of the most fascinating divisions in the NBA because of the expectations of competitiveness from each team, writes Zach Harper of CBSSports.com. For the Pistons, their best-case scenario will be seeing Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith become bona fide NBA stars. For the Bulls and Pacers, their ceilings see them as real championship contenders.
John Havlicek told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Sulia link) that he believes the departed Paul Pierce is the greatest one-on-one Celtics player of all-time.
Former Nets big man Jordan Williams signed with Spanish club Bilbao Basket last week but was waived over the weekend, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Bucks, Kennedy, Knicks, Hunt

September 6th, 2013 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

As we continue counting down the days until NBA training camps open, let's round up a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association….

In an interesting piece at ESPN.com, Kevin Arnovitz speaks to Bucks executives John Hammond and David Morway about Milwaukee's aversion to tanking, and the team's "build-on-the-go" approach.
Sportando passes along a Gazzetta di Reggio report suggesting that Italian team Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia no longer seems to be pursuing D.J. Kennedy, who is focused on landing an NBA camp invite. Justin Holiday, who was released by the Sixers earlier this summer, may be a target for the Italian club, according to the report.
Despite the fact that Jeremy Tyler underwent foot surgery and will likely miss the next two months, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com argues (via Twitter) that the Knicks should wait to see how he heals rather than cutting him anytime soon. Begley notes that New York has made a "financial commitment" to Tyler already, though only $100K of the big man's $884K salary is guaranteed.
Whether or not the Knicks hang on to Tyler, the team appears likely to add another big man to compete for a roster spot, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
It's not out of the question that Gal Mekel turns out to be a better point guard for the Mavericks than Shane Larkin, according to Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com, who gives the Mavs a grade of B for the team's signing of the Israeli guard.
In addition to working out for the Nets, 6'10" forward Kyle Hunt will also audition for the Pacers, says Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.
Recent Clippers signee Brandon Davies is prepared to make an impression in camp and earn a roster spot, as he tells Eric Patten of Clippers.com.

Eastern Notes: Stevens, Rondo, Copeland, Tyler

September 5th, 2013 at 8:30pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Kyle Draper of CSNNE.com provided an abridged transcript of his one-on-one interview with Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, touching base on how he plans to adjust to the NBA game and the team's roster. In the 13-minute video of the full interview included in the piece, Stevens admits that he's not sure of a timetable on Rajon Rondo's recovery, still needs to learn more about the players, and offered this interesting answer when asked if the offense will be tailored to Rondo in his absence:

"That a very good question. Because what he may do well may not be as good a fit for somebody else. So, do you play that way? Start that way knowing that when he is going to come back we don't know yet, or do we change midstream?"

With that aside, let's take a look at what else is brewing in the Eastern Conference tonight:

Since undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery at the beginning of August, Chris Copeland told reporters that his knee is feeling much better and expects to be ready for Pacers training camp at the end of this month (Michael Pointer of IndyStar.com)
As per the Knicks PR Twitter account, it was announced that forward Jeremy Tyler underwent surgery today to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and is expected to be out for eight to ten weeks (Twitter links). ESPN New York's Ian Begley tweets that according to the timetable, it would sideline the 6'10" big man through at least the first week of the regular season.
Bucks general manager John Hammond made it clear that Caron Butler was acquired to be a starter and have a significant role on the team, notes Jim Hoehn of the Associated Press (hat tip to the Star Tribune). Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter) says that head coach Larry Drew lobbied heavily for the team to acquire Butler for the type of positive impact he'd make on the team's young players.

Pacers Reach Agreement With Rasual Butler

September 3rd, 2013 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

After not catching on with an NBA team last year, Rasual Butler has reached an agreement to join the Pacers, agent Joel Bell tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Indiana will sign Butler to a non-guaranteed contract, which figures to essentially amount to a camp invite.

Butler last appeared in the NBA for the Raptors in 2011/12, averaging a career-low 3.2 PPG and 4.8 PER in 34 contests. The 34-year-old participated in workouts last fall and this past spring, but didn't seem to draw much interest from NBA teams until now.

The Pacers have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, and, as our list of non-guaranteed deals shows, have also invited Ron Howard to training camp. Indiana will almost certainly add at least a couple more players to the team's camp roster, but as long as those guys are on non-guaranteed contracts as well, it seems Butler will be given the opportunity to earn a regular-season roster spot.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Haddadi, Knicks, Bulls

September 3rd, 2013 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The 76ers' roster is currently light on veterans and heavy on young talent, which should make for a competitive training camp and preseason. GM Sam Hinkie tells Tom Moore of The Intelligencer that he thinks that competition will be good for the team.

"Everyone starts with a blank slate," Hinkie said. "That’s refreshing in a lot of ways. It’s less what you’ve done and more: what can you do from here? I think all of our players will sense an opportunity to play, show what they can do and expand their game one way or another. It’s important for the future of the Sixers and their own careers."

Here's more on the Sixers and the rest of the Eastern Conference:

Within the same piece, Moore notes that an NBA source says the league's minimum required payroll won't have an effect on the Sixers' roster moves, since there's no real penalty for falling short of the salary floor. I suggested as much when I examined the situation a few weeks ago.
The Knicks don't currently have interest in signing free agent big man Hamed Haddadi, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
Gonzalo Aguirregomezcorta of ESPNDeportes.com caught up with Luis Scola, who says he's looking forward to playing for a Pacers team that he considers to be a "serious title contender."
The Bulls have promoted Adrian Griffin to lead assistant on Tom Thibodeau's staff, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explains why starting the season with a 13-man roster and potentially adding another player or two before the playoffs could make the most sense for the Heat.
The Hawks and Bulls are unlikely to be too active on the trade market this season, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.