JULY 21ST, 2:13pm: The deal is official, the Pacers announced.
“I felt all along it was important to re-sign Rodney,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in the team’s statement. “He proved to us last year how much he could help. He’s a pro and a good teammate. We’re really happy to have him back. He added a lot to our team, on and off the court.”
JULY 5TH, 1:14pm: The Pacers and Rodney Stuckey have reached an agreement in principle on a deal worth $21MM over three years, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Year three is a player option, Charania adds.
Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Stuckey, 29, averaged 12.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 26.4 minutes per contest last season for Indiana. He put up a PER of 15.4, which was more or less in line with his career efficiency average (15.3). Stuckey moved on from the Pistons, where he spent the first seven years of his career, when he signed a one-year deal with the Pacers last summer. After earning the veteran’s minimum in 2014/15, Stuckey has gotten a significant raise on his new deal.
This summer, Stuckey has picked up free agent interest from teams including the Cavs, Rockets, and Kings. Right before the official start of free agency, Candace Buckner of the Indy Star reported that at least five teams had their eye on the guard. At the time, an anonymous basketball insider told Buckner that he believed Stuckey had a bad reputation that was not at all accurate.
“Moody, can’t be coached, bad guy, can’t win with him,” said an Eastern Conference official, repeating the circulated gossip. “Anybody that really knows him, would know … he’s one of the most misunderstood guys in the league.”
Stuckey is represented by Leon Rose of Creative Artists Agency, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
How many combo guards do the Pacers have? Lol…