The Pacers have picked up their 2015/16 team option on their rookie scale contract with small forward Solomon Hill, the team announced. That means Hill, the 23rd overall pick in 2013, will make a guaranteed salary of approximately $1.359MM that season.
The move is no surprise given the expanded role that the 23-year-old Hill is likely to play for the Pacers this year. Key wing players Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner departed via free agency, and Paul George suffered a horrific broken leg that will likely keep him out for all of this season. Hill saw action in just 28 regular season games and appeared in the playoffs for only one minute this past season, but there’s a decent chance he’ll become a starter this year.
Indiana has about $36MM in commitments for next season now that the team has exercised Hill’s option, the only rookie scale option decision the team had to make before the October 31st deadline. No Pacers are up for rookie scale extensions this year, either, so the team is poised to have plenty of cap room to retool next summer.