SEPTEMBER 3: The Pacers have officially announced McConnell’s extension, confirming the deal in a press release.
“It is safe to say that every team in the NBA would like a player that possesses the same intensity, competitive spirit, and passion for the game and his teammates as T.J. McConnell,” Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “T.J. has become a steadying veteran presence for our team both on and off the court, and his value to our franchise cannot be overstated. He was an integral part of our success last year and we’re happy that he will continue to be a part of what we’re building here.”
AUGUST 30: The Pacers and veteran guard T.J. McConnell have reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension worth $45MM, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The deal will begin in 2025/26 following the expiration of McConnell’s current contract, which will pay him $9.3MM this season. In total, he’ll be owed $54MM for the next five years, taking him through the ’28/29 season.
McConnell, who has been with the Pacers since 2019 after spending the first four years of his NBA career in Philadelphia, began last season out of Indiana’s crowded rotation. However, it didn’t take long for him to reestablish himself as one of the team’s top reserves.
The 32-year-old ended up appearing in 71 games, averaging 10.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game. He posted a .556/.409/.790 shooting line and earned Sixth Man of the Year votes, then played a key role off the bench in the postseason, putting up 11.8 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 3.1 RPG in 17 games (20.5 MPG).
With Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard cemented as building blocks in the Pacers’ backcourt, it was unclear how aggressively the team would pursue an extension with McConnell as he nears his mid-30s and the cost of the roster continues to rise. However, today’s news signals that the front office remains as confident as ever in his ability to be a positive contributor for many years to come.
When we discussed McConnell’s extension candidacy in our recent Offseason Check-In story on the Pacers, we identified Mike Conley‘s recent two-year, $20.75MM deal as a potential point of comparison for the Indiana guard. Now locked up for $54MM over five years, McConnell will earn an annual salary slightly above Conley’s for a significantly longer term.
While McConnell is four-and-a-half years younger than Conley, it’s still a little surprising to see the Pacers make such a lengthy commitment to a bench player at this stage of his career. We’ll have to wait for the full details, but it wouldn’t be surprising if some of McConnell’s salary on the back end of the deal is non-guaranteed.
McConnell is the fourth Pacer to sign a long-term contract worth at least eight figures annually this summer. Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin received lucrative four-year deals a free agents, while Nembhard inked a three-year extension that ensures he’ll be under contract for the next four seasons.
With McConnell locked up, just one of the top eight players from Indiana’s postseason rotation is entering a contract year — starting center Myles Turner will become extension-eligible in January.
Mr. Pacer. I’ve always had a soft spot for McConnel. He’s not the best player, but he puts his heart and soul into the game and into supporting his teammates, oftentimes filling gaps in the rest of the roster just from sheer stubbornness. There was a point in ’22-’23 where the Pacers had a real shot-creation deficit, especially off the bench, and he went and became the most frequent self-creator on the team, even ahead of Haliburton from inside the arc. Just a great teammate.
*McConnell, dang it. Stupid autocorrect nonsense.
How about the career this guy has had? I feel like the undrafted guys work their butts off. Wes Matthews was one of my favorites.
Every time I played 2K, I passed over McConnell because he didn’t shoot the 3 particularly well, but I feel like that’s the very least important part of his invaluable impact on teams (just not in 2K haha). Also, there are times when he goes off and looks like he could score 20/game if he wanted to. He’s a cool player to have around.
Dude has a triple-double with steals on his resume. That shows you how much effort he can put out.
Absolutely , what other point guards shoot 55% from the field!?
Those are approaching centers percentages who just dunk everything.
It shows how smart his shot selection is. He knows his strengths & weaknesses & doesn’t try to do things he’s not good at.
He should be taking home about 10M next year with 8% raises. That would leave the Pacers 18M under the tax next year with 2 key free agents in Turner and I-Jax.
Pacers luxury tax crunch coming in 1-2 years, which should be enough time to see if Nembhard or Mathurin work next to Hali and if Walker can bring badly needed size on the wing. If not, big consolidation trade coming, and most of their recent extensions are prime candidates.
Tyus Jones is trying to figure this world out!
Tyus Jones held out for starter money.
… and for a starting spot.., and on a contending team. That’s a lot of boxes to check.
He checked two out of 3 of those boxes LOL. What you say 100% true, but I am not sure how much I believe what his camp put out there. I doubt he turned down any contract in the vicinity of $50M guarantees to take the minimum with the Suns.
Right, and that’s why he’s trying to figure out what’s going on.
He did make 14 million bucks the last couple of seasons so probably thought he would make that.., maybe a little raise? Probably shaking his head right now LOL
Pretty long extension for a role player who is already 32yo. Not complaining, just a little surprised. Even if the last season is a bust, the $ aren’t bad. And he’s been a bargain the last couple of years.
The type of player who you would expect to age relatively gracefully with his effort, work ethic, and passing chops. Congrats to him.
I was going to write much the same thing with the same sentiment. I liked him coming out of college and he’s been pretty good lately. Even with that ugly jumper, usually it goes in so he’s been working on it obviously.
I guess it’s pretty standard bench guy money for someone who is going to play a decent amount of minutes. Plus we forget Halliburton gets dinged up sometimes so a veteran you can trust could be necessary at any time.
TJ’s game should be studied by HS, college hoopers everywhere.
He made a decent NBA career despite his limited physical tools.
Pacers are my 2nd team behind the KANGZ. Go pacers! Go Tyrese! Go this guy!
Pacers couldn’t let him go…
Celtics aren’t in the Central Division
Kind of surprised at the length given McConnell is already 32. I applaud the dude’s work ethic, but how much longer will he be a valuable role player? I understand he played well last season,
but he’s approaching the point of his career where age can show quick. Not necessarily going to happen next year…but they’re paying for 5 more years.
The Pacers won’t necessarily be paying for 5 more years. The last year of the extension is a team option and the third year salary is only partially guaranteed.