Category Archives: rumors

Indiana Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, do business with the Bucks at the trade deadline

The Indiana Pacers have been active in the trade deadline by using their cap space to help facilitate deals for other teams. The Milwaukee Bucks are sending them Jordan Nwora, George Hill, and Serge Ibaka and three second-round picks. The Bucks are getting Jae Crowder from the Nets and the Nets are getting either two or three second-round picks. This is according to reports from both Woj and Shams.

Full updated article on the trade deadline above

It is unclear what the Pacers are sending out in this deal or deals. The Pacers have to send out something to make the trade legal. It could be cash considerations, it could be the top-55 protected second-round pick from the Spurs, it could be players, or it could be the draft rights to an international player that will never actually come to the league. Continue reading Indiana Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, do business with the Bucks at the trade deadline

Deciphering the Myles Turner and Indiana Pacers situation

Myles Turner is not interested in an extension with the Indiana Pacers according to Bob Kravitz of The Athletic, who appeared on the podcast Setting the Pace.

“They have every reason to believe that Myles Turner is not going to sign an extension to stay here,” Kravitz said on Setting the Pace. “… It’s not me guessing here. Myles has no interest in staying in Indianapolis.”

Now, Turner has come out on Twitter to call “cap” at least on the second half of that statement (translation: saying that he is not interested in staying with the Pacers is false).

There’s a few possible reasons for the disconnect between what Kravitz reported and Turner’s feelings about his situation. Continue reading Deciphering the Myles Turner and Indiana Pacers situation

Rumors: Details on the Pacers and Lakers Russell Westbrook trade negotiations

The Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers have discussed a deal that would send both Myles Turner and Buddy Hield to L.A. and Russell Westbrook and draft compensation to Indiana according to multiple media outlets.

Bob Kravitz of The Athletic reports the deal is currently “dead” as the Pacers would like an additional first-round pick to the current draft capital that’s being offered.

The biggest issue with the deal is that the Lakers are limited in what draft picks they have to even offer after sending so many out to get Anthony Davis and the limits on trading firsts in consecutive seasons. Continue reading Rumors: Details on the Pacers and Lakers Russell Westbrook trade negotiations

The Pacers & Deandre Ayton are the will-they-won’t-they plot of the NBA off-season

The Indiana Pacers are interested in restricted free agent center Deandre Ayton and could give him a max offer sheet or complete a sign-and-trade for him with the Phoenix Suns as early as well yesterday. This according to media reports for what feels like the last week but most recently by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Scott Agness of The Fieldhouse Files confirms the Pacers are interested in Ayton. Marc Stein has reported that much of the league is waiting to see if Indiana will make that widely anticipated offer. Windhorst has been all over the ESPN world rumor mongering for a few days about this one including that the Pacers have met with Ayton. Plenty of smoke just from yesterday in the NBA Rumor Mill.

You may be thinking: So what’s the hold up? Why aren’t the Pacers making this move already that I’ve been hearing rumors about for the entire off-season? Are these two going to end up together or what? Come on, Ross and Rachel! We don’t want to go through 236 episodes of every ESPN talk show waiting for the answer here. Let’s get on with it!

I am right there with you, hypothetical reader, and ready for the constant Ayton anticipation to reach its climatic ending whether that’s in Indiana or elsewhere. There are lots of layers to this slowly-developing situation, but the biggest reason that the Pacers and Ayton are stuck in this will-they-won’t-they loop typically reserved for sitcoms is restricted free agency. Continue reading The Pacers & Deandre Ayton are the will-they-won’t-they plot of the NBA off-season

Rumors: Thoughts on the Domantas Sabonis trade talk

The Indiana Pacers have until Monday to sign Domantas Sabonis to an extension, but the two parties appear unlikely to agree to terms before that deadline according to multiple media reports.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that they are far apart to the point that the Pacers “have engaged in active trade talks with several teams this week.” While Amick notes that there is no lack of interest in the young center, his sources say that the Pacers asking price remains too high.

The IndyStar’s J. Michael confirmed that an extension is not imminent at the moment and said he “wouldn’t be surprised by anything as the deadline nears.”

Based on all the reporting, here is some speculation on what’s going on. I repeat this is just speculation and is only my best guess for the entire situation:

When the Pacers realized that they were probably not going to reach an agreement with Sabonis, they started to check what the trade market would be for him.

This doesn’t mean that they are necessarily looking to trade him right now (unless they got a huge offer they couldn’t pass up which would line up with their rumored “high” asking price) but perhaps it is more of a situation where the Pacers are just seeing what they could possibly get in a deal and what teams would be interested down the line if Kevin Pritchard and company decided to go that direction in the future. In other words, it’s just due diligence. Continue reading Rumors: Thoughts on the Domantas Sabonis trade talk

Reports: Pacers to sign Wesley Matthews

The Indiana Pacers will sign Wesley Matthews after he agreed to a buyout from the New York Knicks according to multiple media reports.

Continue reading Reports: Pacers to sign Wesley Matthews

Trade deadline: Pacers acquire second-round pick in trade with Rockets

The Indiana Pacers did the Houston Rockets a favor by taking on Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin in a trade. For their troubles, the Pacers will get a second-round pick from the Rockets in the deadline deal reported by ESPN.

The Pacers will waive both of these players, having no intention of keeping them on the roster. The Rockets motivation is getting below the luxury-tax threshold in the trade.

To make the trade legal, the Pacers do have to send something to the Rockets but it will likely just be a top-55 protected second-round pick that will never actually convey to Houston. Continue reading Trade deadline: Pacers acquire second-round pick in trade with Rockets

Rumors: Pacers made an offer for Mike Conley

The trade deadline is quickly approaching and the Indiana Pacers are showing up in Mike Conley rumors.

Sam Amick and Tony Jones of The Athletic both reported that the Pacers have been in contact with the Memphis Grizzlies about Conley.

Jones reported that Pacers offered one young player and one veteran but the Memphis counter off was far too high. It seems the trade demands for Memphis make this deal unlikely to happen. Continue reading Rumors: Pacers made an offer for Mike Conley

Indiana Pacers Free Agency Options: Bargains (Part 3)

Free agency is almost upon us. A time of Woj bombs and Shams-wows. A time of the surprising and the predictable.

The Indiana Pacers will be one of few teams with a lot of cap space entering free agency this year and will have plenty of options to pursue.

For perimeter players, we’ve already looked at some players in their prime (Will Barton, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Smart) and some wily old veterans that could serve as valuable role players.

Now, we look at cheaper options for younger players that are still somewhat unproven in their abilities. Some have served as role players in the past; some are still looking for that opportunity and may need more development time. These aren’t guys that are going to get anyone excited, but they might pay dividends.

We’ll start with two players that Indiana is reportedly interested in: Doug McDermott and Joe Harris.

Joe Harris

Harris had a great season with the Brooklyn Nets and made 41.9% of his 3-pointers on the season. He ranked in the 89th percentile in spot-up possessions, 75th percentile while coming off of screens and 84th percentile on hand offs. He’s an efficient shooting machine.

Continue reading Indiana Pacers Free Agency Options: Bargains (Part 3)

Rumors: Indiana Pacers interested in Doug McDermott and Joe Harris

ESPN is reporting that with Will Barton likely re-signing with the Denver Nuggets as free agency begins after midnight, the Indiana Pacers will look at free agents Doug McDermott and Joe Harris to add more shooting to the bench unit.

Barton, who is analyzed in the piece below, had been a focus for the Pacers according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Harris and McDermott would both bring shooting but not much else on the other end of the court. Harris shot 41.9% from deep for the Brooklyn Nets last season and McDermott shot 42.6% between his time with the Knicks and Mavericks last season. More analysis will be available on these two and other somewhat unproven free agents soon.

Rumors: Indiana Pacers expected to be interested in Tyreke Evans, Marcus Smart, Will Barton

As soon as the news broke that the Indiana Pacers had declined their team option on Lance Stephenson’s contract, reports of their interest in other players began to appear.

Marcus Smart, the Boston Celtics restricted free agent, is one such target according to Jordan Schultz, and he was rumored to be someone the Pacers were interested in during the season as well.

With his restricted status, he’ll be the toughest to sign in the open market as the Celtics will have the opportunity to match any contract he agrees to with another team. The Pacers would likely have to overpay some in order to sway Boston against matching the offer. Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds last season.

Continue reading Rumors: Indiana Pacers expected to be interested in Tyreke Evans, Marcus Smart, Will Barton

Pacers offering teams cap relief for a first-round pick

ESPN is reporting that the Indiana Pacers have been aggressive in seeking teams out that may be looking to unload salary at the deadline. In exchange for taking on a contract, the Pacers are looking to acquire a first-round pick.

Al Jefferson’s contract is only guaranteed for $4 million next season, so it could provide relief for a team facing the luxury tax or looking to create more space for possible free agent signings.

Tony East of 8 points, 9 seconds says the Pacers could take back $15.55 million in any deal while sending out Jefferson, so a team could possibly save up to $11 million for next season’s cap.

While it’s possible that a team will look to do this type of deal now, it seems more likely to happen this summer. The Pacers also have partially guaranteed deals for Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic, but the Pacers are in no hurry to trade key pieces from this year’s group.

When teams get closer to the free agency season around the draft, they may be more anxious to clear space and then Kevin Pritchard and company can offer the partial guarantees as a way to gather draft picks and assets to the Pacers.

A team that may work now would be the Nuggets. The numbers even work out perfectly.

Nets another possibility though it seems unlikely this deal would include a pick from the Nets.

With Kemba Walker available, should the Pacers make a deal?

Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker has been made available in trades according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Hornets would be looking to unload one of their bad contracts (they have a lot of them) in any potential deal that included Walker, who is averaging 21.7 points and 5.8 assists, according to Wojnarowski.

Any time an All-Star caliber player (Walker was selected as an All Star last season), every team, including the Indiana Pacers, has to consider whether or not they should pursue that player. Kevin Pritchard and company will have to do their due diligence and weigh the pros and the cons of any possible Walker deal.

Continue reading With Kemba Walker available, should the Pacers make a deal?

Pacers still open to re-signing CJ Miles 

The Indiana Pacers re-signing CJ Miles is still a possibility reports Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports.

The Pacers just agreed to terms with Bojan Bogdanovic, a shooting combo-forward, to a 2-year, $21 million deal, but Agness reports this does not eliminate them from trying to sign Miles.

Miles does have interest from numerous NBA teams that are likely looking to sign him to a MLE deal worth around $8 million per season. 

The Pacers hold Miles’s Bird rights and would be able to go over the cap to sign him if necessary, though they could still have around $13 million in space if they stretch Monta Ellis.

Miles has spent the last three seasons with the Pacers and shot a career high 41% from 3-point range last season.

https://twitter.com/infraren/status/882703751378849792

Miles may be looking for a longer term contract than the Pacers are willing to give as they’ve been signing players to short-term deals so far this off-season to keep as much cap space as possible available for next season.

Rumor: Pacers interested in free agent Kelly Olynyk

The Indiana Pacers are rumored to be among interested teams for Kelly Olynyk after the center became an unrestricted free agent when the Boston Celtics renounced his rights after Gordon Hayward decided to come to the Celtics.

Olynyk, 26, averaged 9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2 assists for the Celtics last season playing 20 minutes per game. Woj reports that many teams are showing interested now that he’s an UFA.

It’s the third big man the Pacers have been rumored to be interested in this offseason after Taj Gibson (who signed with the Wolves) and Willie Reed (still a free agent).

The Pacers roster is already packed with power forwards and centers so more moves will be likely if they sign any of these players.

Rumor: Pacers, Raptors have discussed a deal for Cory Joseph

The Indiana Pacers have discussed a deal with the Toronto Raptors involving point guard Cory Joseph according to Basketball Insiders and other media outlets.

The Pacers have a hole at point guard on their roster as Lance Stephenson and Joe Young are the only possible PGs on the team currently. Joseph would add a veteran presence and his contract isn’t a long-term investment.

Joseph averaged 9.2 points and 3.3 assists per game while backing up Kyle Lowry in Toronto. It’s unclear what the Pacers would be sending to Toronto in this deal or if any other players are involved at this time.

The Raptors are motivated to clear some cap space, so the Pacers may not have to give up anything of value for him. However, Scotto reports that the Raptors are looking for draft pick compensation for Joseph, but the Pacers should be reluctant to give up a first-round pick now that they’re rebuilding.

For now the talks have slowed down, but Nate Taylor reports that the teams will revisit the talks. The Pacers think Joseph fits their plans, but are a little concerned that he’ll decline his player option after next season.

Taylor says the Pacers could send out a 2nd-round pick in a potential deal, but the Pacers second-round pick is controlled by the Brooklyn Nets from the Thad Young trade currently. The Nets only receive the 2nd-round pick once the Pacers fail to make the playoffs which could happen this year. 

The Pacers could do something like offer the opposite protections on this year’s 2nd-round pick so if Nets don’t get the pick then the Raptors would. If the Nets get this year’s 2nd-round pick, the Raptors could have the Pacers 2019 2nd-round pick.

The Pacers could also try to acquire a second-round pick from another team to facilitate the deal.

You may remember Joseph from the playoff series two years ago when Rodney Stuckey made Joseph question his existence with a pass fake.

Rumor: Pacers interested in Taj Gibson and Willie Reed

The Pacers are rumored to be interested in a pair of big men in the free agent market: Taj Gibson and Willie Reed.

The Pacers interest in bigs is peculiar given the current logjam of power forwards and centers currently on the roster: Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young, TJ Leaf, Domantas Sabonis, Al Jefferson, Rakeem Christmas, Ike Anigbogu, Georges Niang, Kevin Seraphin and Ben Moore.

The Pacers interest may not become serious unless they are able to move some of their other bigs in a trade.

Reed, 27, would be a good young-ish guy to give an opportunity too if the roster wasn’t stuffed with guys that play his position. He’s one of the iPacers free agents to target for the rebuild.

Gibson spent the last half of the season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded from the Chicago Bulls. Reed spent one season with the Miami Heat, playing well in limited starting opportunities.

Update: George Hill signs with Kings Rumor: Pacers interested in bringing George Hill back to Indiana

Update: George Hill gets the same deal from the Sacramento Kings that Jeff Teague got from the Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 years, $57 million.

The Pacers have traded Paul George and are moving into building a new team around Myles Turner.

The biggest opening on the current makeup of the roster is at point guard and the latest rumor has the Pacers interested in a familiar face: George Hill.

Hill has been connected to multiple teams including the Spurs, Knicks and Nuggets, but this is the first we’ve heard the Pacers mentioned as potential suitors. 

The Pacers traded away Hill to the Jazz last season in a 3-team deal for Jeff Teague, who agreed to a 3-year deal with the Timberwolves as free agency started last night. 

Hill and newly acquired Victor Oladipo would make up a fierce defensive backcourt, much different than the undersized Teague and Ellis combination that the Pacers were starting for much of last season.

Hill will likely command a large contract worth somewhere close to $20 million per season. The Pacers have around $25 million in cap space and will have to decide if the 31-year-old that missed a lot of games last season is worth the large contract.

Update: Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports that the Pacers are not serious about going after George Hill.

Update: Jeff Teague gets 3 year, $57 million from Timberwolves 

Update: https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/880999575124758528

Marc Stein is reporting that the New York Knicks are giving up their chase for Jeff Teague as they believe he has already committed to the Minnesota Timberwolves before free agency officially starts at midnight.

Teague had one of the best seasons of his career while averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 assists and will likely receive a hefty contract from the Wolves, who had a vanancy at point guard after trading Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz.

Teague was rumored to have preferred to stay in Indy on a fair market deal, but the Pacers were probably reluctant to give big money to Teague as they enter a rebuilding phase now that Paul George will be leaving.

The Pacers meanwhile are rumored to be interested in recently waived Rajon Rondo.

Celtics and Pacers seem far apart in Paul George negotiations

Yesterday, it was reported that the last demand from Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers to the Celtics for Paul George was starting player(s) plus the 2018 Nets first-round pick and the 2018 Lakers or 2019 Kings first-round pick. The Celtics found this to be “unrealistic.”

Today, Zach Lowe of ESPN reported that the Celtics haven’t offered any of the following in a potential trade for George: the 2018 Nets first-round pick, the 2018 Lakers or 2019 Kings first-round pick, Jaylen Brown, or Jayson Tatum. 

So neither of the picks that Pritchard wants are currently on the table for the Pacers. Lowe states that his guess for the Celtics standing offer is currently something like Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder and either of the protected first-round picks that Boston owns from the Grizzlies and Clippers.

Maybe this will change if the Celtics sign Gordon Hayward in free agency and then Paul George says that he’s open to staying in Boston past just this season. The path to this may have already started as the Jazz have acquired Ricky Rubio, which means George Hill will be going elsewhere. Hayward was rumored to be wanting the Jazz to re-sign Hill, so he may be more likely to leave now that Hill’s gone.

The Rubio trade also created another suitor for Pacers free agent Jeff Teague as the Timberwolves will be in need of a point guard.

But as of now on the eve of free agency, it appears that a deal between the Pacers and Celtics isn’t close to happening without a compromise that leads somewhere in the middle of the Pacers demands and the Celtics current offer. Lowe states that if one of the picks that Pritchard covets moves into the deal, it’s likely George becomes a Celtic.