Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

FA Updates: Evans, Josh Smith, Pekovic, Clark

July 3rd, 2013 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Tyreke Evans has been one of the most intriguing stories in free agency so far, with the Pelicans having extended a four-year, $44MM offer to the 23-year-old. Still, Evans has yet to agree to sign that offer, and there's no guarantee he'll do so, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. The situation remains fluid, and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) believes if the Kings make Evans a comparable offer, he'd prefer to sign it and stay in Sacramento.

Let's round up a few more of today's free agent updates….

As they continue to explore the possibility of making a big splash, the Warriors are trying to set up a meeting with Josh Smith, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Sulia). However, Smith doesn't seem as interested in the Warriors, who Thompson says "aren't going to jump as high as others to get him."
Don't expect a whole lot of movement in talks for Nikola Pekovic until after Dwight Howard makes his decision, says Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News says (via Twitter) the Cavaliers are being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Earl Clark, meeting with him yesterday and again today, though no offer has been extended yet.
Dorell Wright met with the Thunder yesterday and was presented with one- and two-year contract offers, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, adding that Wright received a similar proposal from the Trail Blazers. The Spurs, Grizzlies, and Mavericks also have interest in Wright, says Spears (via Twitter).
Australian forward Joe Ingles is drawing interest from four NBA teams, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com, listing the Pacers, Grizzlies, Bucks, and Clippers as possible suitors for the 25-year-old.

Blazers, Pacers Eyeing Robin Lopez

July 3rd, 2013 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

12:36pm: With Lopez drawing plenty of trade interest, he is unlikely to be released by the Pelicans by Friday, since the team should be able to find a deal, tweets Wojnarowski.

12:15pm: As the Pelicans attempt to move Robin Lopez before his contract becomes guaranteed this weekend, Portland has emerged as a possible destination for the big man, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, the Pacers are one of the other teams on a short list of potential suitors for Lopez.

Lopez is set to earn about $5.12MM in 2013/14, a reasonable price for a center who was productive (18.9 PER) and durable (82 starts) during his first season in New Orleans. However, that salary is not yet guaranteed, with Lopez set to receive just $500K if he's released on or before Friday. If he's on an NBA roster beyond Friday, however, his salary for both '13/14 and '14/15 ($5.34MM) will become fully guaranteed.

The Pelicans are in hot pursuit of Tyreke Evans, with a lucrative offer sheet on the table for the restricted free agent. Should Evans agree to sign that offer, New Orleans will likely need to trade or release Lopez to clear the necessary cap space. A trade wouldn't necessarily have to be agreed upon by Friday, but the Pelicans would probably lose some leverage at that point, since they'd no longer have the fallback option of releasing Lopez.

Unlike Portland, Indiana doesn't currently have the cap space to absorb Lopez's contract without sending salary back in return, so the Blazers seem to be a likelier trade partner for New Orleans, unless the Pacers can get creative.

Donald Sloan, Pacers Agree To Multiyear Deal

July 3rd, 2013 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have agreed to terms on a multiyear contract with Donald Sloan, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It's already the third agreement the Pacers have reached this month, on the heels of deals for C.J. Watson and David West.

Sloan, 25, is a combo guard that has played primarily at the point in the NBA, including a brief and productive run in Cleveland filling in for the injured Kyrie Irving. Assuming the Pacers view him as a point guard as well, Sloan figures to be the third-stringer, behind George Hill and Watson.

Terms of Sloan's deal aren't yet known, but I'd be a little surprised if it was for more than the minimum. Depending on how they signed Watson though, the Pacers should have either the mid-level exception or the bi-annual exception available if necessary.

Sloan is represented by Impact Sports Basketball.

Central Rumors: Pistons, Rondo, Pacers, Bucks

July 3rd, 2013 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

With new general managers taking over for a handful of NBA franchises this offseason, there's a chance that organizational philosophies or approaches could shift drastically in some instances. The Pistons are hoping that's the case with the Raptors, offering up a package of expiring contracts to Toronto in exchange for Rudy Gay, who was acquired by old head of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo.

However, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets that he'd be "blown away" if the Raptors accepted Detroit's offer without a significant sweetener. And as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes (via Twitter), just because an offer is on the table, it doesn't mean the Raptors have to take it, as several teams have made "unimpressive" proposals for Gay.

Here's more on the Pistons and their Central Division rivals:

Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News tweeted yesterday that the Pistons would be at the front of the line if the Celtics make Rajon Rondo available. While Boston GM Danny Ainge continues to insist he's not interested in moving Rondo, despite plenty of incoming calls, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also reports that the Pistons have made their interest clear in case Ainge changes his mind.
Within Berger's piece, the CBSSports.com scribe says the Pacers have explored potential trades involving Danny Granger and/or Gerald Green. However, they're finding "no market" for either player so far.
The Pistons remain interested in Josh Smith and Andre Iguodala, but are reluctant to engage in a bidding war, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
The Bucks may be emerging as the leading suitor for J.R. Smith, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, pointing out that deals for J.J. Redick and Kevin Martin could set Smith's market value at $7MM+ per year. That would be more than the Knicks are able to offer.
Prior to reaching an agreement with Mike Dunleavy, the Bulls viewed him as their top priority in free agency, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.

Odds & Ends: Dalembert, Copeland, Barea, Nets

July 2nd, 2013 at 11:36pm CST by Zachary Links

It's been another busy night in the Association, let's get caught up with the latest bits of news from around the league..

Samuel Dalembert is getting interest from ten teams and surprisingly, the Bucks aren't among them, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports that the Blazers are among the interested teams.
The Pacers continue to pursue Knicks guard Chris Copeland and Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that they have an offer on the table for the restricted free agent.
In an interview with El Nuevo Dia (translated by HoopsHype), Wolves guard J.J. Barea said that he won't ask for a trade, but would love to play for Nets coach Jason Kidd.
All indications are that fan favorite Brian Scalabrine is likely to join the Warriors coaching staff as an assistant, according to Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link).
Carlos Delfino received interest from a team in China last week, one source told HoopsHype (link), but the interest wasn't mutual. Delfino was recently cut loose by the Rockets.
The Grizzlies informed assistant coaches Henry Bibby and Mitchell Anderson that they won’t be retained, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter).

Tyler Hansbrough Becomes Unrestricted FA

July 2nd, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have agreed to rescind Tyler Hansbrough's qualifying offer, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). That makes Hansbrough an unrestricted free agent and means there are only 11 restricted free agents left on the market.

The one-year qualifying offer the Pacers extended to Hansbrough prior to free agency getting underway was worth $4,135,391. Even if Indiana has interest in retaining the free agent forward, the Pacers' agreements with David West and C.J. Watson have limited the team's flexibility to continue adding contracts.

Hansbrough will now be free to sign outright with any team, rather than having to sign an offer sheet and waiting to see if Indiana will match.

Eastern Rumors: Jefferson, Knicks, Robinson

July 1st, 2013 at 8:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

Here's a look at the latest from the Eastern Conference on a busy first evening of free agency:

Al Jefferson will be meeting with the Bobcats on Wednesday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer doesn't believe much will come of it (Twitter links).
The small forward position is still a need for the Knicks and they inquired about both Francisco Garcia and Matt Barnes, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
The Knicks spoke with Nate Robinson's representatives, but don't count on the diminutive point guard winding up back in New York, Berman tweets.
The Celtics are set to be a taxpayer in 2013/14, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge hinted today that the team will try to get under the tax line, as Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes. Still, it looks like Rajon Rondo will be sticking around Boston.
The agreement between Mike Dunleavy and the Bulls figures to help second-rounder Erik Murphy make the Chicago roster, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Beno Udrih's agent told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter) that his client is "less likely" to re-sign with Magic but a return is "not impossible". The Pinnacle Management client has ten teams interested in him, according to his agent, though he wasn't specific on which clubs. Deveney has heard that the Wizards and Celtics are among those with interest, though the Wizards are probably out, with Eric Maynor coming aboard.
The Pacers officially announced that they have hired Nate McMillan as associate head coach.
Patrick Ewing will be Steve Clifford's associate head coach in Charlotte, with Bob Beyer, Stephen Silas, Bob Weiss and Mark Price filling out the Bobcats staff, according to a team press release.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Pacers Won’t Go Into Tax ‘For Any Reason’

July 1st, 2013 at 6:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers have announced that they will not become a taxpaying team this season "for any reason," tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Indiana has close to $49MM on the books for this coming season, well below the projected $71.6MM tax threshold.

Still, the team figures to add a lucrative salary for David West, and they've extended a qualifying offer to match entreaties from other teams for Tyler Hansbrough. The Pacers have also agreed to a deal with point guard C.J. Watson, though it's not clear how much he's getting.

The club's salary figure will rise by $930K if the club guarantees Lance Stephenson's contract later this month, as expected. The Pacers haven't been a taxpaying team since 2005/06, and when team president Larry Bird left last year, there were rumblings that the team's unwillingness to spend was a reason why. Bird's back this summer, so I assume he's on board with the latest pronouncement.

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Indiana Pacers

Wojnarowski On Copeland, Allen, Oladipo

July 1st, 2013 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Adrian Wojnarowski has passed along a few nuggets this afternoon on free agents and the teams chasing them, so let's check out what the Yahoo! Sports scribe has for us….

The Pacers and Chris Copeland have a "strong mutual interest," according to Wojnarowski, who says Indiana is emerging as a potential destination for the restricted free agent.
If the Grizzlies are unable to re-sign Tony Allen, the Nuggets may become a real threat to land the defensive specialist, tweets Wojnarowski. The Trail Blazers, Pacers, Bucks, and Knicks have also been identified as possible suitors for Allen, while Ken Berger of CBSSports.com throws the Mavericks into the mix as well (Twitter link).
In a non-free-agent tweet, Wojnarowski suggests No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo will get "major run" at point guard in Summer League play for the Magic.

C.J. Watson Closing In On Deal With Pacers

July 1st, 2013 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

1:08pm: Watson appears to be headed for a two-year deal with the Pacers, tweets Kennedy, adding that it will likely be for more than the veteran's minimum.

12:29pm: Unrestricted free agent point guard C.J. Watson is closing in on an agreement with the Pacers, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Watson hit the open market today after turning down a minimum-salary player option to return to the Nets.

The Pacers are in the market for a point guard to play behind George Hill, with backup D.J. Augustin and third-stringer Ben Hansbrough having hit free agency. After paying $3.5MM to Augustin last season, the Pacers could probably land Watson for less money, considering he's coming off a minimum-salary deal and was solid, but unspectacular backing up Deron Williams in Brooklyn.

Watson, 29, averaged 6.8 PPG with 2.0 APG and a 13.9 PER in 80 contests for the Nets in 2012/13.