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Central Notes: LaVine, DeRozan, Holiday, Hill, Bucks, Pacers

May 7th, 2022 at 11:56am CST by Rory Maher

Should the Bulls be worried about Zach LaVine going to another team as an unrestricted free agent this summer? Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic explores that topic, noting that while Chicago can offer LaVine more years and money (five years, $212MM) than other teams (four years, $157MM), the two-time All-Star was noncommittal at his end-of-season media session.

“I’ve been here for the last five years, and I’ve really enjoyed my time,” LaVine said. “I think the city – and I hope everybody – understands how much I care about the Bulls and what I’ve done for the city and things like that.

“Obviously, you guys have been a really soft spot in my heart, and I have to do this as a business decision as a man, not to just be viewed one way, and be, like, ‘I’m automatically coming back’ or ‘I’m automatically leaving.’ It’s unrestricted free agency. For my family and me, I have to go into this like it’s a decision where I have to be open-eyed.”

Here’s more from the Central:

  • In a question and answer session with Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan said he thinks Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is the most underrated player in the NBA at the moment. “Wow, that’s a great one … most underrated … most underrated from my opinion and one of my favorite players to watch I would say is Jrue Holiday, yeah, Jrue Holiday,” DeRozan said.
  • Bucks veteran guard George Hill is listed as probable for Saturday’s Game 3 against the Celtics, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Hill has been dealing with an abdominal strain and has yet to play this postseason, but he was able to practice on Thursday and could see some action today.
  • Jamal Collier of ESPN lists four keys to the Bucks repeating as NBA champions this season. One key is making up for the production of injured star Khris Middleton, who’s sidelined with a sprained MCL. “Khris clearly is a huge part of what we do, but we have a lot of talented guys on our team,” Brook Lopez said. “We’re going to see a lot of different guys, I think, stepping up on different nights.”
  • Keifer Sykes recently spoke to James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star about his rookie season with the Pacers. Sykes was waived by the team just before the season ended. “I did everything that I could do,” Sykes said. “Even when I look up and think about the day I got cut, the night before, after that (last home) game, I was in the gym until like 12 or 1 a.m., so I squeezed everything I got out of the Pacers thing. That’s not gonna stop me from having camps back home and finishing it with this one. I’m very much at peace with the situation. … A lot of players don’t have peace in free agency.”
  • Sykes was waived to accommodate standard deals for undrafted Pacers rookies Terry Taylor and Duane Washington, who were both promoted from two-way contracts. Taylor said it was a dream come true, as Boyd relays in another story. “My agent called me and was like, ‘Yo, we’re gonna get this done Thursday (April 7),’ so he was telling me congrats,” Taylor said. “After we hung up the phone, I just prayed because it finally happened. My dream came true.”
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Pacers Notes: Taylor, Washington, York, Hinton, Cavs’ Pick

April 8th, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers rookie Terry Taylor got a total of $1.225MM in guaranteed money in his new three-year contract with the Pacers, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). Having been promoted from a two-way deal, Taylor got a $600K rest-of-season salary, with a $625K partial guarantee for 2022/23.

Duane Washington, who was also promoted to the standard roster from his two-way contract, received $950K in rest-of-season money, but won’t have any of his salary for ’22/23 guaranteed, Marks notes.

The Pacers used their mid-level exception to sign both Taylor and Washington, which permitted the team to give them three-year contracts and salaries above the minimum in 2021/22. Their second and third seasons will be worth the minimum.

Washington will have his minimum salary for ’22/23 guaranteed if he remains under contract through July 6, while Taylor will need to remain on his deal through July 10 to earn a full guarantee for next season.

Here’s more out of Indiana:

  • Gabe York, a 28-year-old rookie who signed a two-way contract with the Pacers on Thursday, is thrilled to finally get the opportunity to make his NBA debut this weekend, writes James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star. “It’s been seven years, long time since I’ve been trying for this dream to kind of happen,” York said. “Five years overseas, played one stint in the G League with the Lakeland Magic. Seven years of just blood, sweat and tears finally getting this opportunity, so I’m definitely excited and ready for this moment for sure.”
  • York added that his mother was “crying all on the phone” when he told her about his deal with Indiana and said he’d “try not to cry” himself when he makes his NBA debut. “Got the NBA contract for a little bit,” he said. “Now next season is to try to stay in the NBA for a full season and get my mom to stop working.”
  • Nate Hinton, the other player who signed a two-way deal with Indiana on Thursday, has entered the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, as Boyd relays (via Twitter).
  • The Pacers are far removed from the playoff picture, but they’ll have a rooting interest in the play-in tournament next week, Boyd observes in a separate article for The Star. If the Cavaliers earn a playoff berth, Indiana will get Cleveland’s 2022 first-round pick. If the Cavs are eliminated in the play-in, they’ll keep that pick and would instead owe the Pacers their 2023 first-rounder (also lottery-protected).
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Gabe York, Nate Hinton Sign Two-Way Deals With Pacers

April 7th, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers have signed G League guards Gabe York and Nate Hinton to two-way contracts, the team announced in a press release.

Indiana also confirmed that Duane Washington and Terry Taylor, who had both been on two-way deals, have received standard contracts that will cover multiple years. The team officially waived Keifer Sykes to make room on the 15-man roster for both players.

York averaged 21.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 34 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. The 28-year-old played three seasons in the G League and spent time overseas as well after going undrafted out of Arizona in 2016. His only previous NBA experience came in attending training camp with the Magic in 2018 on an Exhibit 10 contract.

Hinton, 22, averaged 18.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists for Fort Wayne in his second G League season. He signed a 10-day contract with the Pacers on December 30 and played two total minutes in two games. Undrafted out of Houston in 2020, he appeared in 21 games with the Mavericks last season.

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Pacers To Sign Duane Washington, Terry Taylor To Multiyear Contracts

April 6th, 2022 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers will promote both of their two-way players, Duane Washington and Terry Taylor, to the standard 15-man roster and sign them to new multiyear contracts, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Indiana has a full 15-man roster and will need to make room for Washington and Terry. Justin Anderson‘s 10-day deal expires tonight, so he’ll likely be one casualty of the roster crunch. The other will be guard Keifer Sykes, who is being waived, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Washington, 22, signed a two-way contract with the Pacers last August after going undrafted out of Ohio State. He has averaged 9.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 46 NBA appearances (20.1 MPG), with a shooting line of .394/.366/.763.

Taylor initially signed an Exhibit 10 deal to join Indiana for training camp, then was waived in October before rejoining the team in December on a two-way contract. He has since made a strong impression on the franchise by putting up 9.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG with a .629 FG% in 31 games (21.3 MPG).

Obviously, the lottery-bound Pacers don’t need to worry about either Washington or Taylor being playoff-eligible, so their promotions are more about locking them up to team-friendly contracts rather than having them become free agents this offseason. The terms of the new deals are unclear, but they’re unlikely to be fully guaranteed or worth more than the minimum beyond this season.

Sykes, also a first-year player, was another Pacers camp invitee who was released in October before rejoining the team in December. The 28-year-old averaged 5.6 PPG and 1.9 APG on .363/.300/.882 shooting in 32 games (17.7 MPG). Sykes had been on a two-year contract, but his salary for 2022/23 wasn’t guaranteed, so Indiana won’t be on the hook for any money beyond this season.

After officially promoting Washington and Taylor, the Pacers will have a pair of open two-way slots that they could fill before the regular season ends on Sunday if they so choose.

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Central Notes: Taylor, Stephenson, Cunningham, Bucks

February 3rd, 2022 at 10:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pacers rookie swingman Terry Taylor recorded career highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds in 37 minutes of action on Wednesday. Taylor, a two-way player who earned a spot on the roster after going undrafted, may be forcing his way into the team’s future plans, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. Taylor played out of position against the Magic as a very undersized center with Indiana’s frontcourt depleted by injuries.

“He was tremendous,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s got a real good feel for the game. He knows who he is. He knows his strengths, he plays to them. He’s a very unique player. He’s worked extremely hard to get this opportunity to be in the NBA and have a chance to get minutes and he’s making the most of it.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • The cap hit that the Pacers will take by signing Lance Stephenson to a rest-of-the-season contract is $642,729, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Stephenson will make $924,730. The signing leaves Indiana $1.4MM below the luxury tax threshold but the team could get $1.3MM in tax relief if Domantas Sabonis is not selected as an All-Star replacement. He wasn’t among the initial group of Eastern Conference reserves announced on Thursday.
  • Top pick Cade Cunningham missed the Pistons’ home game against Minnesota on Thursday, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Cunningham suffered a hip pointer in a loss to New Orleans on Tuesday. He’s questionable to play against Boston on Friday.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at potential trades for the Bucks before next week’s deadline and possible buyout acquisitions after the deadline passes.
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Pacers Sign Terry Taylor To Two-Way Contract, Cut DeJon Jarreau

December 15th, 2021 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are signing undrafted rookie Terry Taylor to a two-way contract, agents BJ Bass and Cam Brennick tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The team has confirmed the move, announcing in a press release that former Houston Cougars guard DeJon Jarreau has been waived to open up a two-way slot for Taylor, whose deal is official.

A 6’5″ wing, Taylor had a big senior year in 2020/21 for Austin Peay, averaging 21.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in 27 games (37.0 MPG). He saw his three-point percentage dip to just 27.9%, but he made 35.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc in his first three college seasons and still made 52.1% of his total shots from the floor as a senior.

Taylor’s performance in college earned him a training camp invitation from the Pacers. While he didn’t earn a spot on the regular season roster, he joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – Indiana’s G League affiliate – and has gotten off to a great start, averaging 19.5 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.3 BPG on 67.9% shooting through 11 games (33.5 MPG).

Jarreau, meanwhile, has put up more modest numbers in 10 games (20.9 MPG) for Fort Wayne, recording 9.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.9 RPG with a .407/.381/.588 shooting line. He appeared briefly in just one game for Indiana.

Duane Washington holds the other two-way spot on the Pacers’ roster.

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Pacers Sign Three Players, Waive Three

October 16th, 2021 at 6:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are doing some last-minute roster shuffling ahead of the regular season deadline, announcing on Friday night that they’ve waived three players and signed three more to fill their roster spots.

According to the team’s press release, camp invitees Keifer Sykes, Terry Taylor, and Nate Hinton are out, while Justin Anderson, Bennie Boatwright, and Derek Culver are in.

It’s unlikely that any of the six players will actually make the Pacers’ 15-man regular season roster — Anderson, Boatwright, and Culver will probably be released shortly.

They are, however, all good bets to play for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League team. They’re receiving Exhibit 10 deals in order to secure their G League rights and/or ensure that they’re eligible for bonuses of up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Mad Ants.

Teams are only eligible to carry up to four “affiliate players” on their G League rosters, but some of the six players involved in this series of transactions will qualify as returning-rights players, rather than affiliate players. Last month, Fort Wayne acquired the G League returning rights for Anderson (from the Long Island Nets) and Boatwright (from the Memphis Hustle).

As for the Pacers’ NBA roster, it appears mostly set, with 12 players on guaranteed contracts, a pair on two-way deals, and non-guaranteed players Kelan Martin, Oshae Brissett, and Brad Wanamaker still sticking around for now. Indiana could carry all three into the regular season, or waive one and begin the season with 14 players on standard contracts.

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Pacers Announce Three Signings

August 5th, 2021 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have officially confirmed three previously-reported signings, announcing today in a press release that they’ve added Duane Washington, Terry Taylor, and Keifer Sykes to their roster. Washington received a two-way deal, while Taylor and Sykes are believed to have signed Exhibit 10 contracts.

Washington, a 6’3″ shooting guard, went undrafted last Thursday out of Ohio State. A second-generation NBA pro, Washington is the son of former journeyman shooting guard Duane Washington Sr. and the nephew of five-time Lakers champion point guard (and current Sparks coach) Derek Fisher. Our full story on his two-way deal is here.

Taylor, a 6’5″ wing, who worked out for more than half the teams in the NBA during the pre-draft process, had a big senior year in 2020/21 for Austin Peay, averaging 21.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in 27 games (37.0 MPG). The full story on his training camp agreement with Indiana is here.

An undrafted free agent out of Green Bay in 2015, Sykes has spent most of the last several seasons playing in international leagues. The 27-year-old point guard participated in this summer’s The Basketball Tournament and hit the game-winning three-point shot on Tuesday night to clinch the title and the $1MM prize for Boeheim’s Army (video link). Our story on his Exhibit 10 deal is here.

Indiana’s roster is now officially at 16 players, with deals for T.J. McConnell, Torrey Craig, and Isaiah Jackson still to be finalized and Cassius Stanley‘s contract situation still to be resolved (he’s a two-way RFA). Teams can carry up to 20 players in the offseason.

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Pacers To Sign Terry Taylor To Camp Deal

July 30th, 2021 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers and undrafted guard Terry Taylor have agreed to a training camp deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Woj doesn’t provide any additional info on the agreement, but Taylor may end up signing an Exhibit 10 contract, which is common for camp invitees.

Taylor, who worked out for more than half the teams in the NBA during the pre-draft process, had a big senior year in 2020/21 for Austin Peay, averaging 21.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in 27 games (37.0 MPG).

The 6’5″ wing saw his three-point percentage dip to just 27.9%, but he made 35.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc in his first three college seasons and still made 52.1% of his total shots from the floor as a senior.

Taylor’s deal with Indiana can become official anytime after the NBA’s 2021/22 league year begins next week.

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Draft Notes: Mann, Taylor, Cunningham, Hornets

July 25th, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by JD Shaw

NBA draft prospect Tre Mann expressed confidence that he’s the best guard in this year’s class, as relayed by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Mann, 20, spent the past two seasons at Florida. He held per-game averages of 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists during the 2020/21 campaign, shooting 46% from the floor and 40% from deep.

“I think I’m the best guard in the draft, top-five for sure,” Mann said.

When asked about his strengths and weaknesses ahead of Thursday’s event, he gave a fair outlook.

“My strengths are my ability to create for myself and my teammates, my craftiness, and my ability to shoot off the dribble on the three-point line or a couple of steps behind the line,” Mann said. “The weaknesses that I think I need to work on are the simpler plays, like making the simple reads out of the ball screens and trying to make the game as easy as possible.”

Here are some other draft-related notes to pass along:

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