Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Leonard, Haliburton, Embiid Expected To Be Ready For Team USA

June 27th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Head coach Steve Kerr expects a fully healthy roster when Team USA begins training for the Olympics next week in Las Vegas, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. That means Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Sixers center Joel Embiid, who were all sidelined with injuries late in the season or during the playoffs, are likely to participate.

Right knee inflammation prevented Leonard from playing in the final eight games of the regular season and limited him to two playoff games as L.A. lost to Dallas in the first round. Kerr cautioned that there could still be a late surprise, but staff members have been in frequent contact with Leonard and they expect him to be ready for camp. Sources tell Vardon that there’s no new structural damage to Leonard’s knee, and the inflammation is the result of previous surgeries.

Haliburton suffered a strained left hamstring in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and wasn’t able to return as Indiana was swept by Boston. He was concerned about his availability for the Olympics when the injury occurred, but Vardon states that the Pacers training staff always believed he would be ready in time.

Embiid missed more than two months after meniscus surgery on his left knee in late January. He was back in time for the playoffs, but appeared to be affected by the knee during the first-round series with New York. He also experienced a mild case of Bell’s palsy, which causes weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles.

Training camp for team USA will open July 6, followed by an exhibition game against Canada four days later in Las Vegas. The team will travel to Abu Dhabi and London for more exhibition contests before heading to Paris.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to see limited action when Greece takes on the Bahamas this afternoon, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24. A left calf strain forced Antetokounmpo to miss all of Milwaukee’s first-round series with Indiana. Greece has to advance through an Olympic qualifying tournament next week to earn a spot in the Summer Games.

2024 NBA Offseason Preview: Indiana Pacers

June 22nd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

While their regular season success was overlooked to some extent due to more significant jumps in the standings in 2023/24 by Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and Orlando, you could make a case that no NBA team exceeded preseason expectations from start to finish by a greater margin than the Pacers.

After winning 25 games in 2021/22 and 35 in ’22/23, Indiana was projected to take another modest step forward in ’23/24 — oddsmakers had their over/under set at 38.5 wins. However, propelled by a high-flying offense led by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers didn’t spend a single day below .500 all season, finishing the year with a 47-35 record and a top-six playoff spot in the East. They knocked off the No. 3 Bucks and No. 2 Knicks in the postseason before falling to the eventual champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.

Indiana likely wouldn’t have been one of the last four teams standing if not for some injury luck in the playoffs. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanovic were some of the opposing players who missed most or all of their playoff series vs. Indiana.

Still, the Pacers beat the teams in front of them in the first two rounds, then played the Celtics about as competitively as a team on the losing end of a sweep can, dropping one game in overtime and two more (without Haliburton) by a single basket. They likely won’t enter the 2024/25 season as a favorite to return to the Eastern finals, but this is a good team that doesn’t appear to have reached its ceiling yet.

To continue getting better, the Pacers may have to rely mostly on internal improvement and tweaks around the margins. Haliburton’s All-NBA season means his maximum-salary rookie scale extension will begin at 30% of the 2024/25 cap (instead of 25%) and the club has already committed to a similar max deal for free agent forward Pascal Siakam. Those two contracts will occupy a substantial chunk of Indiana’s cap room for the next few years, and the club gave up a handful of first-round picks in order to acquire Siakam from Toronto in the first place.

That doesn’t mean the Pacers have no paths to making upgrades though — two of the three first-rounders they gave up for Siakam were 2024 picks, so they still have future draft assets available to offer up in trade talks. And even with max deals for Haliburton and Siakam set to hit the books, the team isn’t quite up against the luxury tax line yet. There’s room to maneuver here, even as the ongoing development of young players like Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Ben Sheppard offers hope of growth from within.

The Pacers’ Offseason Plan

As noted above, the Pacers have already taken care of the No. 1 item on their summer to-do list. They became the first team to take advantage of the NBA’s new rules allowing clubs to negotiate with their own free agents beginning one day after the end of the NBA Finals, quickly coming to terms on a reported four-year, maximum-salary deal with Siakam.

There are a couple caveats to keep in mind here. First, that deal can’t be officially signed until July 6, so it’s technically possible for it to fall apart before then, but that’s extremely unlikely. Siakam has seemed to genuinely enjoy his time with his new team, and the Pacers acquired him knowing they would probably have to go up to the max to retain him beyond 2023/24. He did nothing during his half-season in Indiana to dissuade them from making that offer, leading the team in scoring and rebounding in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Second, while Siakam’s new deal has been reported as a four-year max, we won’t know all the specific details of that deal until it’s official. Are all four seasons fully guaranteed? Are the base salaries technically slightly below the max, with incentives available to max it out? Is there an option on year four?

The answers to these questions will go a long way toward determining just how much risk the contract carries in the back half (Siakam will be 34 when it expires), but regardless, it’s a deal the Pacers had to make. Indiana isn’t a free agent destination, so when the team finds itself in a position to lock up a two-time All-NBA forward for the foreseeable future, it has to take advantage of that opportunity.

With Siakam taken care of, the Pacers have just about all of their rotation players under contract for 2024/25, but there are a couple exceptions. Reserve forward Obi Toppin is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, while backup big man Jalen Smith holds a $5.4MM player option that he may decline. Of the players who finished the season on the roster, Toppin and Smith ranked seventh and ninth, respectively, in minutes per game.

Accounting for Siakam’s new contract and T.J. McConnell‘s full salary (it’s partially guaranteed for now), the Pacers are already on the hook for about $149.4MM for 10 players, which doesn’t include new contracts for either Toppin or Smith. I imagine ownership would prefer to stay below the projected luxury tax line of $171.3MM if possible — that means it could be a tight fit to retain both Toppin and Smith and then fill out the rest of the roster.

On the surface, Toppin looks like the logical keeper if the Pacers have to decide between the two. The former lottery pick thrived in the team’s up-tempo offense, settling into a role off the bench as an efficient scorer and rebounder (and even a shooter — his .403 3PT% was a career high). He was a key part of the postseason rotation, while Smith was barely used in the playoffs.

But the equation won’t necessarily be that simple. While Toppin’s qualifying offer is worth about $7.7MM, there may be a team willing to give him a deal that starts in the neighborhood of the full mid-level ($12.9MM) or even a little higher than that — matching such an offer could force the Pacers to go over the tax line. Plus, if Smith ultimately gets a sense that he’s better off picking up his player option than testing the open market, he can lock in his $5.4MM cap hit without the club having any real agency in the decision, which would make it trickier to re-sign Toppin and stay out of the tax.

Of course, it’s worth stressing that there are no rules preventing the Pacers from signing both players to new contracts. Maybe ownership will be comfortable paying a small tax bill for a roster coming off an Eastern Conference finals appearance. If Toppin’s price comes in lower than expected, perhaps they could even squeeze both players and two or three more in below the tax line. A trade that reduces salary elsewhere on the roster would also be an option.

One additional factor that should help the Pacers navigate the tax line and the aprons? The team holds three 2024 second-round picks, at Nos. 36, 49, and 50. I wouldn’t necessarily expect Indiana to use all three picks on players who will immediately sign standard contracts, but adding one or two of them to the 15-man roster would make sense financially — a minimum-salary free agent would count for about $2.09MM for cap and tax purposes, whereas a second-round pick will likely count for just $1.16MM.

Gaining that bit of extra financial wiggle room with a couple roster spots could end up coming in handy, and Indiana’s scouting department showed with its Sheppard pick at No. 26 in last year’s draft that it can find players further down the draft board who are capable of contributing right away (during the playoffs, Sheppard averaged 19.7 MPG and started two games).

The Pacers will also have contract extension decisions to make in 2024/25 for a pair of players who look more valuable than ever coming off the team’s extended playoff run.

Myles Turner was considered a trade candidate for years and appeared to be on the outs in Indiana back in 2022 when the club signed Deandre Ayton to a maximum-salary offer sheet, while McConnell began the 2023/24 season out of the rotation. But both players were huge parts of the Pacers’ success in ’23/24, with Turner averaging 17.0 points per game on .517/.453/.760 shooting in 17 playoff starts, while McConnell averaged 11.8 PPG and 5.1 APG off the bench in those 17 games.

Turner won’t become extension-eligible until midway through the season, but McConnell could be signed to a new deal beginning in July.

It will be interesting to see what the price point is for Turner, who has never been viewed as a star but is that rare form of center who can both capably protect the rim and hit three-pointers. He’ll earn $19.9MM in the final year of his current contract in 2024/25 and it’s safe to assume he’ll be seeking a raise on his next deal. I expect his camp to keep a close eye on what Nic Claxton gets in free agency — if Claxton signs for upwards of $25MM per year, Turner’s reps could make a case for an even larger payday for their client by arguing that he makes a similar impact to Claxton on defense and is more versatile offensively.

McConnell, 32, is four years older than Turner, plays a lesser role, and will make $9.3MM in ’24/25. His next deal won’t be as lucrative as his teammate’s, but there’s no reason to count on him taking a pay cut. The pesky 6’1″ guard is coming off perhaps the best two-year stretch of his career, having averaged 9.4 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 2.9 RPG on .550/.427/.823 shooting since the start of the 2022/23 season. He’s a Rick Carlisle favorite and has shown how useful he can be on a winning team.

If the Pacers aren’t comfortable with how the initial extension negotiations go with McConnell, they can afford to be patient. He’ll be extension-eligible for the entire 2024/25 league year, up until June 30, so there’s plenty of time to get something done. The window for Turner is a little smaller, since he won’t become extension-eligible until January 30.

It’s worth noting that Indiana traded Buddy Hield in a contract year a few months ago when it became clear that he and the club weren’t going to agree to terms on an extension. I don’t think the Pacers will want to move Turner or McConnell, but it’s a possibility worth monitoring if one or both players don’t have a deal in place before February’s trade deadline.

Salary Cap Situation

Guaranteed Salary

Tyrese Haliburton ($42,300,000)
- Haliburton’s cap hit is a tentative figure based on 30% of a projected $141MM cap.
Myles Turner ($19,928,500)
Aaron Nesmith ($11,000,000)
Bennedict Mathurin ($7,245,720)
Jarace Walker ($6,362,520)
T.J. McConnell ($5,000,000)
- Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted below.
Isaiah Jackson ($4,435,381)
Ben Sheppard ($2,663,880)
Andrew Nembhard ($2,019,699)
Total: $100,955,700

Non-Guaranteed Salary

T.J. McConnell ($4,300,000)
- Partial guarantee. Rest of salary noted above. McConnell’s salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 28.
Kendall Brown ($2,120,693)
Total: $6,420,693

Dead/Retained Salary

Nik Stauskas ($702,311)
Juwan Morgan ($576,230)
Malik Fitts ($555,217)
Total: $1,833,758

Player Options

Jalen Smith ($5,417,386): Bird rights
Total: $5,417,386

Team Options

None

Restricted Free Agents

Obi Toppin ($7,744,600 qualifying offer / $20,409,036 cap hold): Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $20,409,036

Two-Way Free Agents

Draft Picks

No. 36 overall pick (no cap hold)
No. 49 overall pick (no cap hold)
No. 50 overall pick (no cap hold)

Extension-Eligible Players

Isaiah Jackson (rookie scale)
T.J. McConnell (veteran)
Doug McDermott (veteran)
- Extension-eligible until June 30.
Andrew Nembhard (veteran)
Pascal Siakam (veteran)
- Extension-eligible until June 30.
Jalen Smith (veteran)
- Player option must be exercised.

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, these players are eligible for extensions beginning in July.

Unrestricted Free Agents

Pascal Siakam ($42,300,000 cap hold): Bird rights
- Siakam’s cap hold will be his maximum salary (30% of the 2024/25 cap).
Doug McDermott ($21,000,000 cap hold): Bird rights
James Johnson ($2,093,637 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $65,393,637

Other Cap Holds

Gabe York ($1,867,722 cap hold)
Total (cap holds): $1,867,722

Note: The cap hold for York is on the Pacers’ books from a prior season because he hasn’t been renounced. He can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.

Cap Exceptions Available

Note: The Pacers project to operate under the cap and under the first tax apron. If they approach or exceed the first apron, they would lose access to the full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception and would gain access to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,183,000).

Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $12,859,000
Bi-annual exception: $4,681,000
Trade exception: $159,471

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, trade exceptions don’t expire before the regular season begins.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Kings, Siakam, Gordon, Suns

June 21st, 2024 at 7:13am CST by Luke Adams

While there was skepticism both inside and outside the Lakers‘ organization about how genuine the team’s pursuit of Dan Hurley earlier this month was, team owner Jeanie Buss was “highly motivated” to land the UConn head coach and was “genuinely disappointed” when it didn’t work out, sources tell Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

After missing out on Hurley, the Lakers circled back to J.J. Redick, reaching a four-year deal on Thursday with the analyst and podcaster that will make him the club’s new head coach. According to The Athletic’s reporting, Redick had a phone call with Anthony Davis on Monday, which was viewed as an important step in the process, since the Lakers “prioritized Davis’ voice” throughout their coaching search. Davis and other key players were supportive of Redick’s hiring, sources tell The Athletic — while LeBron James isn’t specifically named, it’s safe to assume he approves of the choice to bring aboard his podcasting partner.

As has been previously reported, Scott Brooks, Rajon Rondo, Sam Cassell, and Jared Dudley are a few of the candidates on the Lakers’ wish list for spots on Redick’s new staff, per Charania, Amick, and Buha. However, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link) that the Mavericks will make a strong effort to retain Dudley, who has been an important part of Jason Kidd‘s staff in Dallas.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

A roundtable of ESPN writers discussed the Lakers‘ decision to hire Redick, sharing their thoughts on their former colleague getting his first NBA coaching job. All five panelists believe Redick will be the first Lakers head coach since Phil Jackson to remain in the position for more than three years.
The Kings pursued Pascal Siakam before he was sent to the Pacers, but ended those efforts after the forward reportedly conveyed that he likely wouldn’t sign with the team long-term. Appearing on The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross (YouTube link), Sam Amick of The Athletic explained why Siakam wasn’t enthusiastic about going to Sacramento. “There was an inference from his camp that over the years there were, behind the scenes, somewhat disparaging remarks made that came from the Kings about his game,” Amick said. “The way it was framed to me was that – in an attempt to drive down what it would to get him – some gossipy-type feedback on his game had gotten back to him. … That is the way it was put to me from his side.”
Responding to a report stating that Eric Gordon is “50-50” on exercising his player option with the Suns, plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) says he doesn’t expect the veteran wing to be back in Phoenix next season.
Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports takes a look at five guards who might make sense as Suns targets in next week’s draft, with Marquette’s Tyler Kolek topping his list. Kolek reportedly visited Phoenix this week for a workout.

Draft Workouts: Spurs, Suns, Pacers, Blazers, Lakers, Wolves, Thomas

June 20th, 2024 at 9:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs, who are widely expected to draft at least one guard next Wednesday, recently worked out both Stephon Castle of UConn and Devin Carter of Providence, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

As we relayed on Wednesday, recent mock drafts from ESPN and Bleacher Report both have San Antonio drafting Castle at No. 4, and the team is said to be high on Carter as well. Iko confirms as much, writing that the Spurs have “strong interest” in Carter, Castle, and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard, with Carter’s private workout “resonating” among the team’s decision-makers.

Here’s more pre-draft workout news from around the NBA:

After a previous report indicated that the Suns may target Tyler Kolek with the No. 22 pick, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic says Phoenix brought the former Marquette guard in for a workout on Thursday. Kolek is the No. 25 prospect on ESPN’s board and the Suns are believed to be in the market for a point guard this offseason.
The Pacers held their sixth pre-draft workout on Thursday, with Adem Bona (UCLA), RayJ Dennis (Baylor), Ariel Hukporti (Germany), Daniss Jenkins (St. John’s), Keshad Johnson (Arizona), and Babacar Sane (G League Ignite) in attendance, per a press release from the team. Bona (No. 33) is the highest-rated player of the group on ESPN’s board.
International prospects Yongxi Cui and Quinn Ellis and G Leaguer Bryson Warren were among the players who participated in a pre-draft workout with the Trail Blazers on Friday, tweets Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report. Tristan Enaruna (Cleveland State), Oso Ighodaro (Marquette), and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Memphis) also took part.
The Lakers brought in a handful of potential second-rounders or undrafted free agents on Thursday, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link), who says Quinn Slazinski (West Virginia), Jalen Bridges (Baylor), Raequan Battle (West Virginia), Quincy Olivari (Xavier), and Lance Jones (Purdue) attended the session. McMenamin also says Xavier Johnson participated, though he doesn’t specify whether that’s the Xavier Johnson from Indiana or Southern Illinois.
Keion Brooks Jr. (Washington), Tyler Wahl (Wisconsin), N’Faly Dante (Oregon), Aaron Estrada (Alabama), and Isaac Jones (Washington State) worked out for the Timberwolves on Friday, according to the club (Twitter link). It’s worth noting that it was Estrada’s second workout for Minnesota, which may signal real interest.
Tyler Thomas of Hofstra has recently worked out for the Cavaliers, Rockets, Magic, Timberwolves, and Knicks, a source tells Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link). Thomas isn’t considered a top-100 prospect by ESPN, but could catch on with a team in free agency if he goes undrafted.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray Headline Canada’s Preliminary Olympic Roster

June 19th, 2024 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Canada Basketball has formally announced its preliminary roster for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. The 20-man group will have to be trimmed to 12 players for Paris.

Here are the 20 players vying for spots on Team Canada’s Olympic roster, which will be coached by new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez:

Kyle Alexander (Hapoel Tel Aviv)
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Timberwolves)
RJ Barrett (Raptors)
Trae Bell-Haynes (Zaragoza)
Khem Birch (Girona)
Oshae Brissett (Celtics)
Dillon Brooks (Rockets)
Luguentz Dort (Thunder)
Zach Edey (Purdue)
Melvin Ejim (Unicaja)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
Mfiondu Kabengele (Venezia)
Trey Lyles (Kings)
Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
Andrew Nembhard (Pacers)
Kelly Olynyk (Raptors)
Dwight Powell (Mavericks)
Phil Scrubb (Bahcesehir Koleji)
Thomas Scrubb (Obradoiro)
Andrew Wiggins (Warriors)

All 12 players who helped Canada clinch an Olympic berth and claim a bronze medal at the 2023 World Cup are included in the preliminary roster, along with several notable newcomers, including Murray, Wiggins, Lyles, and Nembhard.

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, whose seasons ended earlier due to injuries, will also attend training camp with Team Canada, but won’t be in the mix for roster spots this summer, according to today’s announcement.

Even without Sharpe or Mathurin in the mix, the Canadians can put together a formidable NBA-heavy squad that should be in contention for a medal in Paris. Gilgeous-Alexander, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Powell, Olynyk, and Alexander-Walker were the top seven players on last year’s squad and look like relatively safe bets to represent Canada again. If Murray, Wiggins, Lyles, and Nembhard were to join them, that would leave just one open spot for the remaining nine invitees.

One notable omission from the 20-man preliminary roster is veteran guard Cory Joseph, who spoke to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca earlier this week to express his disappointment about being left off the list. Joseph was unable to compete for a spot on the World Cup team last year due to a back injury, but was among the 14 players who made a commitment in 2022 to be part of Canada’s “summer core” for the current Olympic cycle.

“I took the honor of playing for your country very seriously and did it many times over the years,” Joseph told Grange. “This is not me complaining, I’m not a complainer. But there were times when I put FIBA basketball and playing for my country over my NBA situation at the time, whether I was in a contract year and I had no contract at the time and I went to go play for my country, whether I had little bumps and tweaks, I was there. Whether guys came or not, I always thought we still had a chance. For me it’s a little disheartening to be like, ‘Wow, I wasn’t even given an opportunity to compete for whatever position?’

“… I had planned to go to camp, and when you’re talking about the (last three or four spots) on the roster, there’s a pool of talented guys you could put on the roster, (but) I don’t see, in that situation, where I wouldn’t at least be invited to camp to be one of those guys (to compete for a spot), so that’s where my disappointment is with the organization. … I don’t want to take away from the fact that Canada Basketball is in a great place. This is not that. I love all those guys. I want them to do well. Quote that. I just think I should have been invited to camp at the very least, 100 per cent.”

Team Canada will hold its training camp in Toronto from June 28 to July 7 before heading to Las Vegas for an exhibition game vs. Team USA on July 10. The Canadians will also play exhibition matches with France on July 19 and the winner of the Puerto Rico Olympic qualifying tournament on July 21.

Canada will be in Group A at the Olympics, along with Australia. The group will be filled out by the winners of the qualifying tournaments in Spain and Greece.

Central Notes: Bulls Workout, Pistons, Vinson, Djurisic

June 18th, 2024 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls held a pre-draft workout on Monday that included Ron Holland, Terrence Shannon Jr, Ryan Dunn, Kyle Filipowski, Adem Bona and Justin Moore, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic tweets.

The Bulls hold the No. 11 pick in the first round with Holland ranking as a potential selection with that lottery pick, Mayberry notes. Holland, who played for the G League Ignite, is rated No. 11 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

Shannon, a high-scoring guard out of Illinois, was recently found not guilty on felony charges of first-degree rape and sexual aggravated battery in Kansas. He’s moved up to No. 26 on ESPN’s list and could continue to climb, making him another possible option for the Bulls.

We have more from the Central Division:

Could the No. 5 overall pick help the Pistons acquire Kyle Kuzma, Jerami Grant or a future first-rounder? Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press explores three potential trade scenarios that could produce one of those outcomes.
The addition of Fred Vinson, a renowned shooting coach, to the Pistons’ staff could signal what new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon plans to do this summer, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic. It’s logical that Vinson was brought in to help the young core with its shooting, rather than moving some of those players for veteran help. Edwards believes Detroit will use its ample cap space to bring in a few proven players via free agency to raise the team’s floor, while allowing young players like Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and its lottery pick to be rotation pieces.
Shooting guard Nikola Djurisic worked out for the Pacers on Tuesday but that wasn’t the first time he visited their practice facility, Zion Brown of the Indianapolis Star notes. Djurisic also worked out for Indiana last year before withdrawing from the draft. He’s currently ranked No. 48 by ESPN and could be a consideration with one of the Pacers’ three second-round picks. “Last year, I wasn’t mature,” Djurisic said. “This year, I’m still a kid in my head. I think I grew as a person and as a basketball player.”

Newton Among Prospects Visiting Tuesday

June 17th, 2024 at 7:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers are holding a pre-draft workout on Tuesday with some potential second-round picks in the mix. They’ll host Nikola Djurisic (Serbia), Allen Flanigan (Mississippi), Isaac Jones (Washington State), Tristen Newton (Connecticut), Donta Scott (Maryland), and Santiago Vescovi (Tennessee). Shooting guard Djurisic is ranked No. 41 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list, with forward Jones (No. 57) and Newton (No. 68), point guard for national champion UConn, also among the top 75.
Coming off their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers now must focus on taking the next step, star guard Tyrese Haliburton told Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. “It was a great year for us as a team, me individually, of course, but we know there’s another step for us to go, and obviously not satisfied with just Eastern Conference Finals. We want to do a lot more,” he said.

Scotto’s Latest: J. Smith, Toppin, Weaver, Hartenstein, Huerter, O’Neale, More

June 15th, 2024 at 4:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

Early indications suggest that Pacers power forward Jalen Smith will decline his $5.4MM player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports in his latest aggregate mock draft. Sources tell Scotto that a final decision hasn’t been made, but Smith appears to be leaning toward testing the free agency waters. He has a June 29 deadline to opt in for 2024/25.

Smith, 24, appeared in 61 games this season and posted a career high in scoring at 9.9 PPG, along with 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 17.2 minutes per night. He was selected 10th overall by Phoenix in the 2020 draft and was acquired by Indiana at the 2022 trade deadline.

Scotto notes that rival teams are watching to see whether the Pacers will re-sign restricted free agent Obi Toppin. If the fourth-year power forward reaches a new deal, there’s a belief that Indiana might be willing to trade Jarace Walker, who was a lottery pick last June.

Scotto shares more inside information in his aggregate draft:

Washington is believed to be a potential destination for former Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, who recently parted ways with the team, Scotto writes, noting that Weaver was once part of Oklahoma City’s front office along with Wizards executives Michael Winger and Will Dawkins.
Scotto talked with some NBA executives who believe the Magic should be considered a threat to sign Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein. Orlando could have close to $50MM in cap space to work with.
Executives also expect the Kings to explore deals involving Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes, Scotto adds.
The Raptors plan to work out an extension with Scottie Barnes this summer, sources tell Scotto. The versatile swingman made his first All-Star appearance this year.
Scotto echoes other reports in stating that Royce O’Neale is likely to reach a new contract with the Suns. The 31-year-old forward, who was acquired from Brooklyn at the trade deadline, is expected to receive about $10MM per year, according to Scotto.
Vice president of basketball operations Brent Barry isn’t expected to return to the Spurs next season, sources tell Scotto. The longtime NBA player has been an executive with San Antonio since 2018.
Assistant coach Jason Love will likely leave the Sixers and join Doc Rivers’ staff with the Bucks, Scotto states. Love previously worked for Rivers in Philadelphia.
The Hornets are assembling a staff of assistants for new head coach Charles Lee. Scotto hears it will include Lamar Skeeter, Josh Longstaff, Chris Jent, Ryan Frazier, Zach Peterson, Matt Hill and Blaine Mueller.

And-Ones: White, Leonard, Embiid, Haliburton, 2024 Free Agency, More

June 15th, 2024 at 11:25am CST by Tristan Tucker

Derrick White is a real contender to replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA for this year’s Paris Olympics if Leonard is unable to suit up, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter video link via Clutch Points’ Tomer Azarly).

White’s emerged as one of the league’s best defensive players over the past few seasons and he’s been a large part of Boston’s championship aspirations. This season, White averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steal per game in the regular season while being named to the All-Defensive Second Team. Through 18 playoff games, White is averaging 16.9 PPG.

Leonard was named to the 12-man Olympic roster but battled through knee inflammation toward the end of this season, which kept him out of the Clippers’ final three playoff games. When healthy, Leonard averaged 23.7 points and 6.1 rebounds in 68 games for the Clippers this season.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid was hobbled through the playoffs and missed more than half the regular season but he’s still on track to suit up for Team USA starting next month, according to ESPN. “I’m doing great. Just getting ready for the Olympics,” Embiid said on ABC on Friday night. “It’s going to be big for me because I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a kid.” Embiid chose to play for the United States over France and Cameroon.
Like Embiid, Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton expects to be healthy by the time he suits up for the U.S., according to IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak. “The hamstring is good,” Haliburton said. “… Today I ran for the first time full speed. I got another three weeks before USA. I feel good. I’m really excited to get out there and do that.” Haliburton missed 10 games in January with his hamstring injury, then re-injured it during the Eastern Conference finals.
The NBA offseason has begun for 28 teams, and with no more than three games left in the season, we’re starting to have a clearer idea of what decisions teams will be making this summer. Bobby Marks of ESPN (ESPN+ link) breaks down some of these key decisions and potential contract details in a 2024 free agency/offseason primer. Some of the most important decisions impacting the course of the offseason include what the Hawks do at No. 1 overall in the draft, whether or not Donovan Mitchell extends with the Cavaliers and what LeBron James‘ next contract looks like.
Several teams are flush with cap space this offseason, including the Sixers — a team with two stars under contract that now has ample spending power. In an article predicting the biggest moves of the 2024 offseason, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report speculates that Philadelphia winds up signing Paul George to a max contract. In addition, Pincus predicts Klay Thompson, Malik Monk and Tobias Harris head to Orlando and Isaiah Hartenstein signs with Oklahoma City.

Central Notes: Bird, Pacers, Pistons, Portis

June 12th, 2024 at 9:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Six players who participated in a pre-draft workout for the Pacers on Wednesday were surprised when a Hall of Famer showed up to watch them, writes Zion Brown of The Indianapolis Star. Larry Bird, who was hired as a consultant last June, walked into the gym to observe the prospects, who noticed his presence immediately.

“It’s exciting,” Oakland’s Jack Gohlke said. “Obviously (he’s) an NBA legend, and a guy who has been with the Pacers organization for forever and a legend with the Celtics, too. So I think it’s just really cool. … I would say it’s almost easier to play in front of a sold-out arena than to have these guys sitting courtside, but it’s still a really cool experience.”

Bird has worked for the Pacers in several capacities over the years, starting as head coach in 1997. Tyrese Haliburton and Isaiah Jackson also made an appearance on Wednesday, but the focus was on Bird, even though the players at the workout were all born well after his playing career ended.

“Once he walked in I was like, ‘I recognize him,’” UC-Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell said. “It’s amazing to see him here. Working in front of him, it’s a great opportunity and it’s a blessing to have him around.”

Also participating in the workout were Yongxi Cui of China, Thijs de Ridder of Belgium, TCU’s Emanuel Miller and Michigan State’s Tyson Walker. Indiana owns picks 36, 49 and 50 in this month’s draft.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers have another workout set for Thursday featuring Baylor’s Jalen Bridges, North Carolina State’s D.J. Burns Jr., West Virginia’s Jesse Edwards, Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves and Morehead State’s Kalil Thomas, the team announced (via Twitter). Indiana’s Xavier Johnson was a late replacement for USC’s Boogie Ellis (Twitter link).
New Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has a challenge to try to fix an organization that has been sputtering for years, observes Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News. Wojnowski blames owner Tom Gores, whom he accuses of meddling too often, as well as the people he has entrusted to run the franchise. He criticizes former general manager Troy Weaver for his roster construction, particularly his willingness to take on big men who failed elsewhere, and coach Monty Williams for his insistence on playing Killian Hayes and his misuse of Jaden Ivey early in the season.
Bobby Portis should be thrilled by the return of Darvin Ham to the Bucks‘ coaching staff, notes Christopher Kuhagen of The Journal-Sentinel. Kuhagen recalls that after Milwaukee was eliminated from the playoffs in 2023, Portis sent out a social media message that read, “Only thing hurt us was D ham leaving. That ain’t talked about enough.”