- Pacers guard Edmond Sumner is taking a positive approach in the aftermath of his devastating Achilles injury. Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files relays a social media post from Sumner which states in part, “Hit me at all at once like a train. Just adding to this crazy journey of mine. … Victory comes through your adversity.”
After being waived by the Pacers last month, Amida Brimah will resume his playing career in Puerto Rico, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man has signed with Mets de Guaynabo.
Brimah, 27, was in training camp with the Pacers last fall, then signed a two-way deal with the team in April. He appeared in five NBA games for Indiana down the stretch, recording 2.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in just 5.8 minutes per contest. He also played in 10 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants during the G League season and put up 8.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 2.6 BPG for the club in 23.5 MPG.
Although Brimah’s two-way contract covered the 2021/22 season as well, the Pacers didn’t plan on bringing him back for another year, opting to use their two-way contract slots on undrafted rookies Duane Washington and DeJon Jarreau. As a result, Brimah was cut in August when the club signed Jarreau.
This won’t be Brimah’s first time playing outside of the NBA or the G League. The former UConn center was briefly a member of KK Partizan in Serbia in 2018.
- The biggest upgrade the Pacers made this offseason was on the sidelines, Zach Harper of The Athletic opines. While the front office acquired a couple of potentially important role players, the key move was hiring Rick Carlisle for a second stint as their head coach. Carlisle replaces Nate Bjorkgren, who quickly fell out of favor with the team’s players and even his staff, Harper adds.
Veteran guard Edmond Sumner has been diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon, according to the Pacers, who said in a press release that Sumner sustained the injury during an offseason workout on Thursday.
Sumner will be out indefinitely, per the team. While the Pacers aren’t definitively stating yet that the 25-year-old will be out for the entire 2021/22 season, the rehab and recovery process for an Achilles tear typically takes the better part of a calendar year.
It’s a brutal blow for Sumner, who had a career year in 2020/21, playing a career-high 16.2 minutes per game and earning 24 starts in 53 contests. The 6’4″ guard averaged 7.5 PPG and 1.8 RPG with an impressive shooting line of .525/.398/.819, and had his $2.32MM team option picked up by Indiana for the 2021/22 season.
Since Sumner is in the final year of his contract, the Pacers may eventually waive him if they don’t think he’ll be back this season and need his spot on the 15-man roster, but there’s no rush to make a move yet. Sumner’s $2.32MM salary is guaranteed, so he’ll earn it whether or not he finishes the season with the club.
It has been a rough week of injury updates for the Pacers, who announced on Tuesday that T.J. Warren‘s recovery from a left foot stress fracture is progressing slower than they’d hoped. It appears the team will be down at least two players when training camps open later this month.
7:41pm: The signing is official, according to a press release from the Pacers.
3:20pm: The Pacers have reached an agreement with free agent guard Nate Hinton on an Exhibit 10 deal, agent Tallen Todorovich tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link).
Hinton, 22, signed a two-way contract with the Mavericks during the 2020 offseason after going undrafted out of Houston. The 6’5″ shooting guard spent his rookie season in Dallas, appearing in 21 games for the club, but only played limited minutes, averaging 2.0 PPG in 4.4 MPG. He saw more action at the G League level for the Santa Cruz Warriors, putting up 10.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 10 games (23.0 MPG).
The Mavs issued a qualifying offer to Hinton earlier this summer to make him a restricted free agent and he accepted it, briefly returning to the team on a second two-way deal. However, Dallas waived him in August in order to open up a two-way slot for JaQuori McLaughlin.
The Pacers currently have a total of 19 players under contract, including 13 on guaranteed contracts, four on non-guaranteed deals, and a pair on two-way pacts. Hinton, who will join Keifer Sykes and Terry Taylor as the Pacers players with Exhibit 10 deals, will be the team’s 20th man.
Earning a regular season roster spot will be a challenge, but if Hinton ends up joining Indiana’s G League affiliate for at least 60 days, his Exhibit 10 contract would make him eligible to earn a bonus of up to $50K.
Pacers starting small forward T.J. Warren, who missed all but four games during the 2020/21 season due to a navicular left foot stress fracture, is recovering from the injury slower than Indiana had expected, per a team press release. The Pacers list Warren as being sidelined “indefinitely.”
The news undoubtedly comes as a blow for a revamped – and otherwise healthy – Pacers club that, with the return of former head coach Rick Carlisle to the bench following an underwhelming year with first-time head coach Nate Bjorkgren, hopes to compete for a return to the playoffs behind All-Star Domantas Sabonis and lead guard Malcolm Brogdon. Indiana is scheduled to begin its training camp in three weeks.
Warren was a major part of the Pacers’ core during a successful 2019/20 campaign that saw Indiana finish with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. He was been the breakout star of the 2020 Orlando restart “bubble” campus, averaging 31.0 PPG and 6.3 RPG across six regular season games in Walt Disney World. The Pacers would go on to be swept by the Heat in the first round of the 2020 playoffs, but the future looked bright for the 6’8″ vet.
Warren averaged 15.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 1.3 APG during his four games with the Pacers during the 2020/21 season. He will earn $12.7MM in the last year of his current contract with the team. An unrestricted free agent in 2022, The 28-year-old could net a significant price on the open market should he be able to suit up for most of the 2021/22 season, but this setback throws his return timeline in doubt.
The forward took to social media to address the news himself. “Just wanted you to hear this straight from me,” he wrote in part (Twitter link). “I’m making sure I do this rehab process right so that I can get back on the court as soon as I can and be the best that I can.”
- Moses Ehambe is grateful he got the opportunity to be an assistant with the Pacers, though he was not retained in the aftermath of Nate Bjorkgren’s departure, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles writes. “This is where you want to be,” Ehambe said in the comprehensive interview. “Now it’s about staying.”
The Pacers won’t have to make any decisions on Kelan Martin yet, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, who reports that the team and player agreed to push back the salary guarantee date on Martin’s contract.
Martin’s $1.7MM minimum salary for 2021/22 had been scheduled to become guaranteed if he remained on the roster through August, but the two sides moved that deadline to October 19, the first day of the regular season, a league source tells Agness.
Martin, a 6’5″ small forward who signed with the Pacers during the 2020 offseason, appeared in 35 games during his first year with the club, averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .449/.400/.900 shooting in 9.2 minutes per contest.
A player on a non-guaranteed deal will typically agree to push back a salary guarantee deadline if the most likely alternative is being waived. Martin will now get the opportunity to prove during training camp and the preseason that he deserves one of the spots on Indiana’s 15-man roster this season.
The Pacers are currently carrying 13 players on guaranteed deals, plus Martin and Oshae Brissett on non-guaranteed contracts, Keifer Sykes and Terry Taylor on Exhibit 10 deals, and DeJon Jarreau and Duane Washington on two-way pacts.
New Pacers forward Torrey Craig is aiming to bring defensive intensity to the team this season, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star writes.
Craig, who signed with the Pacers in free agency, spent the 2020/21 season with the Bucks and Suns. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 16.1 minutes in 50 total games, shooting 48% from the floor and 37% from three-point range while playing strong perimeter defense.
“I don’t even like guys to score one basket. It doesn’t matter,” Craig said. “It’s just a pride thing. I think the more guys that have that mentality and catch on, that’s what makes you a hard team to beat.
“Offense, it’s the NBA. Guys are talented. Definitely some talented scorers on this roster. Offense is going to come. When you get teams that lock in offensively, and defensively, that’s when you become a championship team.”
Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference today:
- The Bulls, who agreed to acquire Derrick Jones Jr. in a three-team deal with the Blazers and Cavaliers on Friday, were was also considering acquiring Jones last April, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Chicago added Jones to help address the team’s lack of wing depth. The 24-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 22.7 minutes per game with Portland last season.
- Nerlens Noel‘s lawsuit against Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul may have stemmed from a grievance filed by Paul, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Paul claimed that Noel still owes him $200K as commission from the one-year, $5MM contract he signed with the Knicks last year. As we previously relayed, Noel is suing Paul for the loss of approximately $58MM regarding a past extension offer from the Mavericks.
- Knicks All-Star Julius Randle preferred stability over more money, he said in explaining why he signed a four-year, $117MM extension with the team, Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com examines. Randle would’ve been eligible for a new contract worth up to roughly $200MM if he waited until next summer. “The money was one thing, but for me, it was more about the situation as far as my happiness, the basketball situation, my family, just being stable and being in New York and really just continuing to build this thing up,” Randle said. “When I signed here two years ago, this was my vision, to be able to lock in something long term and build something from the ground up. That’s what we’re doing. All hands on deck.”
Over the last few weeks, NBA teams have been overhauling their rosters, signing free agents, making trades, and locking up their draft picks to contracts. Prior to the draft and free agency though, several teams completed another major offseason change that shouldn’t be overlooked — over a quarter of the NBA’s clubs named a new permanent head coach.
One of the eight teams that named a new permanent coach this offseason simply retained a familiar face. Nate McMillan took over as the Hawks‘ interim coach halfway through the 2020/21 season, and the job he did the rest of the way, leading Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals, ensured the team wasn’t going to seek out a replacement.
The other seven teams, however, will have a new face on the sidelines to start the 2021/22. Here’s a recap of this offseason’s head coaching changes and a brief look at how they played out:
Boston Celtics
- Hired: Ime Udoka (story)
- Replaced: Brad Stevens (story)
- Contract details: Multiyear deal (specifics unknown)
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Jerome Allen, Chauncey Billups, Mike D’Antoni, Darvin Ham, Jay Larranaga, Charles Lee, Joe Mazzulla, Scott Morrison, Jamahl Mosley
The Celtics didn’t follow the usual script when making their head coaching change. Rather than being fired by the team, Stevens actually received a promotion to president of basketball operations, putting him in the unusual position of hiring his replacement.
Boston considered a mix of internal and external candidates before landing on Udoka, a former NBA player who was an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s staff in San Antonio for seven years before also spending time with Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Udoka’s experience on Team USA’s staff at the 2019 World Cup worked in his favor, since he got to know Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart during that event.
Dallas Mavericks
- Hired: Jason Kidd (story)
- Replaced: Rick Carlisle (story)
- Contract details: Four-year deal
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Jamahl Mosley, Terry Stotts
The Mavericks took another step forward in 2020/21, improving their regular season winning percentage for a third straight season. Although Dallas’ season ended with another first-round loss to the Clippers, those positive strides made it a little surprising that the team ended up making major changes to both its coaching staff and front office. Carlisle stepped down and the team parted ways with longtime president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.
The searches for a new general manager and head coach occurred simultaneously, with owner Mark Cuban leading the process. He chose Nico Harrison to head up the team’s basketball operations department, and they quickly zeroed in on Kidd – a former All-Star and NBA champion with the Mavericks – as the choice for head coach.
The Mavs are hoping that Kidd learned from some of the mistakes he made during previous head coaching stints with the Nets and Bucks and will form a strong connection with franchise player Luka Doncic, who wasn’t always on the same page as Carlisle.
Indiana Pacers
- Hired: Rick Carlisle (story)
- Replaced: Nate Bjorkgren (story)
- Contract details: Four-year, $29MM deal
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Steve Clifford, Brian Shaw, Terry Stotts
The Pacers’ head coaching change in 2020 looks like one of the worst moves of that offseason in hindsight. The team dismissed Nate McMillan due to his lack of success in the playoffs, but his replacement – Bjorkgren – was unable to even get the team to the postseason during his lone season at the helm.
After Bjorkgren’s brief and disastrous tenure, the Pacers will seek stability by bringing back Carlisle, who coached the team from 2003-07 and has recorded the 15th-most wins of any coach in NBA history. He’ll assume control of a veteran squad that looks capable of bouncing back and potentially securing a top-six spot in the East with better health luck in 2021/22.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Hired: Willie Green (story)
- Replaced: Stan Van Gundy (story)
- Contract details: Multiyear deal (specifics unknown)
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Charles Lee, Jacque Vaughn, Fred Vinson, Teresa Weatherspoon
Like Bjorkgren in Indiana, Van Gundy proved to be a poor fit for his new team and lasted just one year before receiving his walking papers. When the Pelicans launched a search for their new head coach, they prioritized finding a candidate capable of connecting with the young players on the roster — especially Zion Williamson, who will be playing for his third coach in three years.
New Orleans initially appeared focused on Vaughn, but the Nets assistant withdrew from consideration in order to remain in Brooklyn. At that point, the Pelicans’ search narrowed to Green and Lee, with the Suns associate head coach ultimately winning out.
Green only has five years of experience as an assistant under his belt, but appeared in the NBA Finals in four of those five seasons with Golden State and Phoenix. And the fact that he’s only six years removed from being in the NBA as a player should help earn him some respect from a young Pelicans team.
Orlando Magic
- Hired: Jamahl Mosley (story)
- Replaced: Steve Clifford (story)
- Contract details: Four-year deal
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Chauncey Billups, Jarron Collins, Mike D’Antoni, Willie Green, Becky Hammon, Penny Hardaway, Jason Kidd, Charles Lee, Terry Stotts, Ime Udoka, Wes Unseld Jr.
It didn’t seem as if the Magic were particularly eager to move on from Clifford, but the veteran coach wasn’t enthusiastic about embarking on another rebuild, so the two sides mutually agreed to parted ways a few weeks after Orlando’s season ended.
While some of the candidates reported to be on the Magic’s radar had previous head coaching experience, most were assistants who had a strong record of player development and wouldn’t mind growing along with a young, lottery-bound team. Orlando eventually chose Mosley, who was an assistant for the Nuggets and Cavaliers before spending the last seven seasons under Rick Carlisle in Dallas.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Hired: Chauncey Billups (story)
- Replaced: Terry Stotts (story)
- Contract details: Five-year deal
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Jerome Allen, Brent Barry, Mike D’Antoni, Becky Hammon, Jason Kidd, Dawn Staley
Unable to get the Trail Blazers over the hump despite a long track record of regular season success, Stotts was let go by the Blazers this spring.
After reports stated that Damian Lillard would have a voice in Portland’s hiring process, the All-Star guard expressed public support for Kidd and Billups. When Kidd withdrew his name from consideration, reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of pursuing the job following Lillard’s public endorsement, Billups emerged as the frontrunner and beat out finalists D’Antoni and Hammon for the job.
Billups, who had a decorated career as a player, has long been viewed by people around the league as a good bet to be a successful NBA coach. He’ll get his chance in Portland, though the team could’ve handled the hiring better from a PR perspective.
The Blazers, who faced some backlash due to a 1997 sexual assault case involving the former All-Star guard, told reporters they thoroughly investigated that incident and came away confident that Billups hadn’t engaged in any wrongdoing. Subsequent reporting suggested that Portland’s investigation may not have been as exhaustive as the team claimed. However, any blow-back to the poorly-handled process seems more likely to affect president of basketball operations Neil Olshey than Billups.
Washington Wizards
- Hired: Wes Unseld Jr. (story)
- Replaced: Scott Brooks (story)
- Contract details: Four-year deal
- Other candidates who reportedly received consideration or interest: Sam Cassell, Chris Fleming, Willie Green, Darvin Ham, Charles Lee, Jamahl Mosley, Scott Morrison, Ronald Nored, Chris Quinn, Kevin Young
Halfway through the 2020/21 season, Brooks looked like the surest bet among the NBA’s 30 head coaches to be let go at season’s end. A second-half surge and a play-in tournament victory earned the Wizards a playoff berth and made the decision a little more difficult, but the team ultimately decided not to bring back Brooks, whose contract expired this year.
The Wizards, whose search focused exclusively on assistants without prior head coaching experience, narrowed their list down to four finalists — Unseld, Ham, Lee, and Mosley. After Mosley opted to take the Orlando job, Washington chose Unseld over the two Bucks assistants.
It was a logical choice for the Wizards, who gave Unseld his start as an assistant in 2005 and who employed his father (Wes Unseld Sr.) for years as a player, coach, and front office executive. However, Unseld Jr. earned the job on merit, not sentiment — he spent 16 years as an assistant in Washington, Golden State, Orlando, and Denver, and the Nuggets lobbied hard for him to get a head coaching opportunity they felt he deserved.