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Victor Oladipo Talks Health, Pacers, Legacy

May 23rd, 2020 at 10:19am CST by marksuleymanov

Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo was able to return to action earlier this year after undergoing surgery for a torn quad last January, which ended his 2018/19 season and forced a late start to the currently-suspended campaign.

All told, over an 18-month period, Oladipo has had to abruptly stop playing basketball twice. As the NBA weighs the possibility of continuing the season, Oladipo tells Michael Lee of The Athletic he wants to establish himself as one of the greats.

After returning in January, Oladipo appeared in 13 games (10 starts) before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered play. Oladipo admitted that he “would be lying” if he said he was playing above 80% this season.

Ahead of free agency this summer, the 28-year-old discussed his personal goals moving forward, his intended legacy and much more.

Check out the highlights below:

On hiss ultimate career goal::

“At the end of the day, I wanted my name to be mentioned with one of the greats. So, when this quad injury happened, my job is not over. My legacy isn’t finished. This knee is a little bump in the road, I guess you would say. But someone once told me a long time ago, ‘If the road you’re on is easy, then you’re on the wrong road.’ So I hate calling it a ‘bump in a road.’”

On the feeling he needs to constantly prove himself:

“Me, personally, I feel they don’t really respect me. And that’s fine. I get it. It was only one year or a year and a few months, or whatever the case may be. And I still got a lot to prove. I want the whole world to remember my name. That’s why I do what I do. And that’s why I’m going to come back stronger than ever because I still have some unfinished business. And I still got a lot of things that I need to accomplish and want to accomplish — so my name can ring bells.”

On understanding the Pacers culture:

“The money is great, obviously, and the lifestyle is cool, but coming from where I come from, if they ain’t talking about you as one of the best, it’s no point in you even playing. That’s what I got from PG County. I want to be a legend, period, when it comes to this game. That’s why I work as hard as I do. I remember when no one knew who I was, and that’s what keeps me going every day. That makes me work harder every day. That’s why it’s so hard to take a break because it’s so many things I need to do.”

Central Notes: Oladipo, Respert, Cavs, Pistons

May 14th, 2020 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

After reporting earlier this week that the Pacers aren’t considering the possibility of shopping Victor Oladipo and that the veteran guard isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star digs a little further into the subject.

A source tells The Star that Oladipo “loves” Indiana, and Michael notes that the two-time All-Star has a good, “open-door” relationship with Pacers executives Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan.

According to Michael, the Pacers have made it clear they’re willing to give Oladipo a maximum-salary contract once his current deal ends in 2021, assuming that’s his market value. The 28-year-old hasn’t fully regained his All-Star form since returning from a serious leg injury, but is willing to roll the dice that he can get there.

Doing so would put him in line to earn a long-term max deal in ’21 rather than settling for an early extension that wouldn’t be as lucrative or as lengthy, due to CBA restrictions — Oladipo is seeking as much security as possible on his next contract, says Michael.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Bulls director of player development Shawn Respert, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, won’t be retained beyond 2019/20, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Interestingly, Johnson says that decision was made by Jim Boylen, who remains the Bulls’ head coach for now as he continues to be evaluated by the team’s new basketball operations decision-makers.
The Cavaliers are unlikely to have any cap room this offseason, but could still be a minor player in free agency, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who speculates in his latest mailbag that Derrick Jones, Michael Carter-Williams, Josh Jackson, and Harry Giles could be among Cleveland’s targets.
While February’s Andre Drummond trade will help ensure the Cavs don’t have cap room this offseason, moving Drummond’s contract should allow the Pistons to create upwards of $30-35MM in space, depending on where exactly the cap lands. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic explores which players Detroit could look at if the team decides to trade for unwanted contracts rather than using its room on free agents.

Kings, Pacers, Heat Among Latest Teams To Reopen Facilities

May 13th, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NBA continue to reopen their practice facilities to accommodate voluntary individual workouts for their players. The Kings, Pacers, and Heat are among the latest teams to do so.

As James Ham of NBC Sports California details, Sacramento opened its facility on Monday, and a handful of players have already taken advantage of the opportunity to get some work in.

The same thing happened in Indiana this week, according to J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. Michael’s source didn’t identify the specific players who have been back at St. Vincent Center, but said some players have returned to the facility, even as many staffers still aren’t cleared to enter the building.

As for the Heat, they reopened their facility at AmericanAirlines Arena on Wednesday, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. All but three of Miami’s players are still in the South Beach area, per Winderman, so a number of those players figure to make use of the building.

The Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Jazz, Hawks, and Raptors are among the teams that have also opened their respective facilities. Raptors forward Malcolm Miller confirmed today that he was the first player back at the club’s facility in Toronto earlier this week (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of The Athletic).

As the list of teams with reopened facilities grows, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday night that the league believes 22 of its 30 teams will have their building opened back up by next Monday (May 18). However, situations remain fluid.

For instance, the Wizards had reportedly targeted this Friday to reopen their practice facility. That target date is now up in the air, since the stay-at-home order in Washington, D.C. has now been extended through June 8, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Players who have been given the green light to participate in individual workouts at their teams’ facilities face restrictive guidelines. They can only work out for an hour at a time, with no more than four total players in the building. They also must undergo temperature checks before entering the facility and are required to wear a mask when not engaged in physical activity.

Pacers Rumors: Oladipo, Turner, Sabonis, Draft

May 11th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A report earlier this month indicated that teams around the NBA are expected to monitor Victor Oladipo, who will be entering a contract year in 2020/21 and hadn’t fully hit his stride with the new-look Pacers since returning from a major leg injury.

However, a league source tells J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star that Oladipo isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. According to that source, the Pacers have no plans to shop the two-time All-Star on the trade market during the 2020 offseason, and intend to focus on locking him up to a new deal beyond 2021. Oladipo’s name hasn’t come up in any trade talks to date, two sources told Michael.

As previous reports have indicated, Oladipo and the Pacers briefly discussed an extension before the 2019/20 season began, but he only could have added three new years at that point and wouldn’t have been eligible to increase his salary to the league max.

Oladipo decided at that point to wait on negotiating a new contract and will likely take the same approach during the 2020 offseason, according to Michael, who notes that Oladipo could maximize his potential earnings by waiting until his contract expires in 2021 to sign a new one. At that point, he’d be eligible for up to five years if he re-signs with Indiana.

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Despite a long-standing belief among outside observers that Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner aren’t compatible, there was no indication at the trade deadline that the Pacers planned to move either player, according to Michael. Still, the club remains in the market for a power forward, Michael adds.
Turner drew some interest around the NBA prior to the deadline, particularly from the Wizards, according to Michael. One source tells the Indy Star that Washington was only inquiring about the big man for future reference, but another source told the Star that a “key player” from the Wizards sat down with someone close to Turner to directly express interest. According to Michael, Turner’s camp didn’t take those inquiries too seriously because they were aware Indiana wasn’t looking to move the 24-year-old.
The Pacers weren’t interested in adding 2020 draft picks in pre-deadline deals, since they’re “not enamored by” the 2020 draft class and are in win-now mode, says Michael.
Michael adds that “for the foreseeable future, no one is going anywhere,” since the Pacers like their roster.

Pacers Founder Mike Storen Passes Away

May 7th, 2020 at 8:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Mike Storen, the founder and first general manager of the Pacers in 1967 and the father of ESPN reporter Hannah Storm, has passed away at the age of 84, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Storen also served as the commissioner of the ABA, the Continental Basketball Association, the Global Basketball Association and the Indoor Professional Basketball League.

Next Phase For Pacers Development

May 7th, 2020 at 8:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The next phase of development for a solid Pacers squad goes under the microscope courtesy of The Athletic’s Scott Agness and John Hollinger. This season’s team was on pace for a No. 5 seed and a 50-win year before league play was paused on March 11.

Central Notes: McMillan, Bulls, Buford

May 5th, 2020 at 7:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Pacers coach Nate McMillan has been preparing his team to play basketball again as best as he can, as Akeem Glaspie of the Indianapolis Star relays.

Not all players on the Pacers have been on equal footing during the hiatus, however. Victor Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon are among those who have basketball courts at their homes or an established nearby place. Others, like Goga Bitadze, are living in apartments without access to gyms.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

How will the Bulls‘ new front office operate? K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports envisions a collaborative approach, similar to Arturas Karnisovas’ stints with Denver and Houston.
Jon Greenberg of The Athletic takes a look at the Bulls‘ past and wonders whether the new leadership is going to bring more success to Chicago. The scribe believes the new regime can be successful, though he notes that having a “players first” mentality would suit the newcomers well.
The Bucks have locked in Chase Buford to coach their G League squad for another season, the team announced on its website. “Chase has done a tremendous job in his first season at the helm,” said Milwaukee Bucks VP of basketball operations and Wisconsin Herd GM Dave Dean. “As an organization, we’re thrilled to have Chase return for a second season, and we look forward to his leadership and continued development as we build off the current campaign.”

Opposing Teams Expected To Monitor Pacers, Oladipo

May 1st, 2020 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NBA are keeping an eye on the situation in Indiana, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who notes that Victor Oladipo will be entering a contract year in 2020/21 if he and the Pacers don’t agree to an extension before then.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported in February that the Pacers and Oladipo “very briefly” discussed the possibility of a contract extension prior to the start of the 2019/20 campaign. Sources tell Begley that the idea of a four-year, $80MM extension was brought up during those talks, which didn’t progress much beyond that point.

Technically, since Oladipo had two years left on his current deal prior to this season, an extension couldn’t have exceeded three years, totaling five overall. As such, Begley’s four-year figure may have included the guard’s $21MM salary for 2020/21.

Once the ’20/21 league year begins, Oladipo will once again become extension-eligible and could then tack on up to four new years to his expiring deal. Because the starting salary on a veteran extension is limited to 120% of a player’s previous salary, Oladipo could receive up to $25.2MM in year one, maxing out at about $113MM over four years.

There’s no reason to believe at this point that the Pacers won’t make a strong push to retain Oladipo. It’s worth noting that Indiana has already made long-term commitments of at least $18MM per year to three other players – Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner – and that the club had a better record without Oladipo this season (32-20) than with him (7-6). But that sample size was small and the two-time All-Star was coming off a major quad injury that has sidelined him for a full year.

Additionally, while the Pacers don’t have a ton of cap flexibility in future years, they hold Oladipo’s Bird rights and – depending on where the cap lands going forward – could likely stay out of the tax while re-signing him, either to an extension or as an unrestricted free agent in 2021.

Still, as Begley writes, if the 2019/20 season can be resumed, teams around the league figure to be monitoring Oladipo and the Pacers to see how his chemistry with Brogdon and the rest of the team develops.

Malcolm Brogdon: “I’m 100%”

April 25th, 2020 at 4:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon offered good news about his injury status in a brief message to fans on the team’s Twitter account.

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of rehab, doing as much as I can under this quarantine, but I’m 100%. I’ve been on my bike, my Peloton bike, and I’ve been running hills in my backyard. Thank you for all of your support and wishes and prayers.”

Brogdon was listed as week to week when he suffered a torn muscle in his quadriceps in early March. He said at the time that he was planning to return for the postseason, but the NBA’s hiatus has allowed him to heal while missing hardly any games.

Brogdon has made an impact in his first season with Indiana after coming from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade deal. He’s averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists through 48 games and has the Pacers tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Indiana Pacers

April 24th, 2020 at 7:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.

Despite some speculation that they’d struggle without Victor Oladipo for the first half of the 2019/20 season, the Pacers were just fine, thanks to a hot start by Malcolm Brogdon and a breakout season from Domantas Sabonis.

Oladipo’s rust following his 12-month absence contributed to some up-and-down play (Indiana was 9-9 after his return), but it would be interesting to see if a fully healthy version of the roster could win a playoff series in the East. With 11 players of this year’s players on guaranteed contracts for next season, the Pacers could run it back with a pretty similar squad in 2020/21.

Here’s where things stand for the Pacers financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:

Guaranteed Salary

Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
Malcolm Brogdon ($20,700,000)
Domantas Sabonis ($18,500,000)
Myles Turner ($18,000,000)
T.J. Warren ($11,750,000)
Jeremy Lamb ($10,500,000)
Doug McDermott ($7,333,333)
T.J. Leaf ($4,326,825)
Goga Bitadze ($2,957,520)
Aaron Holiday ($2,345,640)
Monta Ellis ($2,245,400) — Waived via stretch provision.
Edmond Sumner ($2,160,000)
T.J. McConnell ($1,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. ¹
Total: $122,818,718

Player Options

None

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

T.J. McConnell ($2,500,000) ¹
Total: $2,500,000

Restricted Free Agents

Alize Johnson ($1,820,564 qualifying offer / $1,820,564 cap hold): Early Bird rights
Brian Bowen (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Naz Mitrou-Long (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
Total (cap holds): $4,711,958

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Justin Holiday ($5,720,400): Non-Bird rights
JaKarr Sampson ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
Total: $7,340,964

Offseason Cap Outlook

Last summer’s series of transactions – adding Brogdon, Warren, and Lamb, while extending Sabonis – will limit the Pacers’ flexibility going forward and eliminate any chance that they’ll have cap room during the 2020 offseason.

Still, barring a trade that adds salary, an aggressive deployment of the full mid-level exception, or an unexpected decline in the salary cap, the team should have a decent amount of breathing room below the tax line.

Cap Exceptions Available

Mid-level exception: $9,258,000 ²
Bi-annual exception: $3,623,000 ²

Footnotes

McConnell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 17.
This is a projected value. If the Pacers’ team salary continues to increase, it’s possible they’d be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,718,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.