Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Bulls, Pacers, Bucks

August 2nd, 2015 at 4:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Bucks lottery pick Joe Alexander is on his way to Italy. Earlier today, David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter) heard from Alexander’s agent that he’ll be heading to Sardinia’s Sassari. Things didn’t work out as planned for Alexander in the NBA, but as he explained in an interview earlier this year, he believes that a dysfunctional regime in Milwaukee hampered him as much as injuries did. Here’s more from the Central Division..

Instead of making bold moves, the Bulls are keeping their team exactly the same and betting on their rookie coach, Fred Hoiberg, Scott Davis of Business Insider writes. The Bulls handled their biggest priority when they re-signed Jimmy Butler to a five-year, $90MM deal. Now, Chicago is hoping that it was Tom Thibodeau‘s bumpy relationships with some players that kept them from winning it all rather than any shortcomings on their roster.
With the contracts of Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger expiring after the year and Solomon Hill‘s rookie deal holding an option for his fourth year, the Pacers should have plenty of room to make free agent moves next summer, Mark Montieth of Pacers.com writes.
The Bucks are equipped to win now and also build toward something greater for the future, Tim Cato of SB Nation writes. Cato also looked at how new addition Greg Monroe will fit in and how big of a step Giannis Antetokounmpo could take this season.

Central Notes: George, Granger, Pistons

August 2nd, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Paul George injury that occurred one year ago Saturday essentially ended an era in Indiana, according to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. Playing in a USA Basketball scrimmage, George suffered a broken right tibia and fibula, knocking him out for most of the 2014/15 season. The Pacers began assembling a younger, faster roster, and the moves culminated with this summer’s trade of Roy Hibbert to the Lakers and the loss of David West in free agency. Monta Ellis, who was signed as a free agent, is now Indiana’s oldest player at age 30.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers have built a talented roster filled with athletic wings and combo guards, but still need a healthy season from George to be contenders, writes Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. George was able to return for six games at the end of last season, aiding a late Pacers push toward the playoffs, and the team is optimistic about his outlook for next season. Indiana’s roster overhaul has brought seven new players to the team since the end of last season.
Danny Granger will probably be the first player trimmed from an overcrowded Pistons roster, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The recent signing of Adonis Thomas for camp gave Detroit 18 players with guaranteed contracts, and all except Thomas appear to be fully guaranteed. Granger, 32, played in just 30 games for the Heat last season, averaging 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds. He was traded to Phoenix in February and went from the Suns to the Pistons in a July 9th deal.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy displayed unusual patience this summer, writes Sean Corp in the Detroit Free Press. Instead of throwing a max offer at another free agent after missing out on early targets Danny Green and DeMarre Carroll, the Pistons waited for an opportunity. Their patience paid off when they were able to cheaply acquire a package from Phoenix that included Marcus Morris. Van Gundy credits GM Jeff Bower for pushing the patient approach.

Central Notes: Hill, Bulls, Whittington

July 31st, 2015 at 7:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers signee Jordan Hill has been arrested after allegedly driving 107 mph near Atlanta, reports Mike Petchenik of WSB-TV (Twitter link). “We have been informed Jordan was arrested for allegedly reckless driving in Atlanta, Georgia. It is obvious we don’t condone this. We will address this with Jordan. This is a major concern of safety, not just for Jordan, but for others,” president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a statement the team issued via Twitter. Hill is scheduled to make a guaranteed $4MM on his one-year contract this season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

While Pau Gasol understands the Bulls‘ reasons for firing former coach Tom Thibodeau, he doesn’t believe that simply revamping the team’s offense is enough to take the next step toward an NBA title, Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald relays. “Offense wasn’t too much of an issue last year,” Gasol said. “We can work on our offense all we want, but defense is going to make a difference in how we’re going to beat other teams.“
The Bulls also face the challenge of fielding a roster loaded with big men in a league trending toward more scoring and smaller lineups, McGraw adds, but Gasol believes the team can benefit from its roster continuity. “We have a great opportunity,” Gasol said. “We have a very strong team. There were very few changes made as far as our roster and our players. We can build on what we had last year, so we have all the tools to be a much stronger team than we were and learn from our mistakes from last year. I think we have to understand we have talent offensively and we have to play with a better flow offensively. I think we’re going to have more freedom to play in transition and exploit our abilities as individuals. As long as we understand that defense is what wins championships and makes the difference … we should be fine.“
Shayne Whittington is part of the Pacers‘ current frontcourt logjam, but he believes his ability to guard multiple positions will set him apart, Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com writes. “Honestly, I think the one thing that really will set me apart from anybody at the four and five is if I can start guarding guards on a consistent basis,” Whittington said. “If I start doing that, then, then you never know, I’ll be at the four quite a bit. We’ll switch a lot; I can actually guard those guards; [Coach Frank Vogel will] feel comfortable with me out there guarding people. If your President of Basketball Operations feels comfortable with you guarding guards out there, you’re going to be on the court, especially if you’re 6’11”. Playing defense, rebounding the ball — that’ll get me on the court.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Monroe, Allen, Christmas

July 31st, 2015 at 1:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks GM John Hammond was elated to sign big man Greg Monroe this summer, and not just because of his talent, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Milwaukee scored the former Pistons mainstay with a three-year max deal.

“Just such a great opportunity for us, we felt,” Hammond said of Monroe. “We need a player of that caliber. We need a player that we can throw the ball to in the post. But it’s just as important that we continue to try to build and build this the right way, that we can build with the right kind of people.”

Milwaukee’s playoff-ready roster was a key reason behind Monroe’s decision to sign there, as agent David Falk said earlier this month, but the Bucks aren’t in a rush to become a championship contender, as GM John Hammond explains to Lee. Here’s more from the Central Division:

Lavoy Allen new three-year, $12.05MM contract with the Pacers includes a $1.5MM signing bonus, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). That bonus is spread evenly across his cap hits for each season, so the net effect is that if the Pacers trade him, the team acquiring him would pay him $500K less per season, though his cap number would stay the same, as Pincus explains.
The third season of of the three-year deal Rakeem Christmas signed with the Pacers is partially guaranteed for $50K, and the fourth season contains both a team option and a partial guarantee of $52,064, Pincus tweets. The precise value of the deal is $4.3MM, as Pincus shows on the Pacers salary page, resolving conflicting reports from earlier.
Shayne Whittington will see the minimum salary on both years of his new deal with the Pacers, Pincus adds (Twitter link).
The Pistons traded Quincy Miller to the Nets this month because of a roster crunch in the frontcourt, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes in a mailbag column. Pistons coach/exec Stan Van Gundy opted to parlay him for Steve Blake to reinforce the point guard position, given the uncertainty over whether Brandon Jennings, still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, will be ready to start the season. Miller was far from a lock to make the opening night roster in Detroit, Langlois adds.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Pacers, Allen, Bucks

July 29th, 2015 at 10:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this month, the Pacers and Lavoy Allen reached agreement on deal that will keep the big man in Indiana for next season and beyond. Indiana shelled out the money to keep Allen, in part, because they want to pick up the pace on offense.

“That’s one of the main reasons they brought me back was the talk about playing more uptempo,” Allen told Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. “I think that will really benefit us with the people we have — the shooters and bigs who can run.”

Still, Allen is one of six bigs – or seven, counting Paul George at power forward – on the Pacers and it’s not clear how much time he’ll see on the court. Allen, like the Pacers’ fans, says he’s curious to see how it all shakes out. Here’s more from the Central Division..

Rising sophomore Shayne Whittington envisions the recently re-signed Allen as having a breakout year for the Pacers, Candace Buckner of the Indy Star writes. “I know we brought Lavoy in for a reason, he’s a great rebounder. He’s a great offensive presence, he can shoot the ball very well. Ian is one of our best defensive assets that we have. I personally think that he’s going to blow up this year if he gets that starting spot. His confidence will skyrocket if he gets that.“
Between the success of the arena plan and the team’s basketball moves, Bucks owner Wes Edens said, “I think our offseason was a 10. We’re undefeated in the offseason,” Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel tweets. On Tuesday, the Bucks’ arena plan cleared a major hurdle.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter) has the details on Rakeem Christmas‘s deal with the Pacers. Christmas’ deal is fully guaranteed for two years with a $50K guarantee in year three and a team option on year four. If that fourth-year option is exercised, then he’ll have a $52K guarantee.

Contract Details: Powell, Mavs, Barton, Pacers

July 28th, 2015 at 9:18pm CST by Charlie Adams

The terms of a contract between a newly acquired player and his team aren’t always immediately clear since clubs typically don’t release salary figures in official signing announcements. Below are some specifics on recently inked deals, all courtesy of Basketball Insiders’ Eric Pincus:

The precise value of No. 46 pick Norman Powell‘s three-year deal with the Raptors is $2,539,382, as Pincus shows (via Twitter). This season’s salary is the only one that exceeds the minimum.
Newly acquired Mavericks swingman John Jenkins’ 2015/16 minimum salary is fully guaranteed, according to Pincus (Twitter link), who also confirms Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork’s report that recent Dallas signee Maurice Ndour’s minimum-contract is guaranteed for the upcoming year.
Will Barton will make precisely $10,590,000 over the course of his new three-year deal with the Nuggets, Pincus relays on Twitter.
The Pacers’ three-year deal with Lavoy Allen is worth a total of $12.05MM, but it includes a team option in the final year of the deal, as Pincus notes on his salary page for Indiana.
Glenn Robinson III’s starting salary with the Pacers is for slightly above the minimum at $1.1MM, Pincus tweets. The minimum salary for a player with GRIII’s experience would be $845,059, as our glossary entry for the minimum salary exception shows.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Hibbert, Crawford, Cousins, Evans

July 28th, 2015 at 3:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers trade acquisition Roy Hibbert is excited to play for coach Byron Scott, and while he cautioned that he has nothing against Pacers coach Frank Vogel, the center made it clear as he spoke with TNT’s David Aldridge that his preference this summer was to end up on a team with a former player as coach. Hibbert also expressed his unwavering sentiment for Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird, even though Bird strongly signaled to the media this spring that he was ready to move on from the former All-Star.

Larry was very up front with me,” Hibbert said. “He said before the press conference that I can’t promise you minutes next year, and they wanted to go in a different direction. So it wasn’t like what happened came out of nowhere, what he said. I’ll always say that Larry changed my life. I was on the phone with my agent in the office during the [2009] draft process and Larry said ‘If Roy’s there at 17, we’ll take him.’ That meant a lot to me. I know that things change and the NBA is ‘What have you done for me lately?,’ but I could never say a bad thing about Larry or the Pacers organization.”

We had more on Hibbert’s old team earlier today, and now here’s the latest on his new team’s division rivals:

The Clippers aren’t anxious to trade Jamal Crawford, but trade rumors from earlier this summer, his exclusion from the team’s DeAndre Jordan recruiting effort, and the addition of newcomers at his position are inauspicious signs for his future with the team, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register examines. Crawford seems to be wondering about whether the Clippers still appreciate him, and that doesn’t auger well for team chemistry if he’s still on the roster at the start of the season, Woike believes.
DeMarcus Cousins is a major fan of Reggie Evans, notes Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops, who writes amid a look at the top remaining free agents. Evans, who spent the last season and a half with the Kings, remains unsigned.
Quincy Acy has a non-guaranteed salary on the second season of his new two-year deal with the Kings instead of a player option, as had previously been reported, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Undrafted rookie Duje Dukan‘s two-year deal with the Kings is for the minimum salary, Pincus shows on the same page.

Central Rumors: Cavs, Jackson, Pacers

July 27th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers traded Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller to the Trail Blazers mainly to add two exceptions and expand their trade options, even though they will save millions in luxury tax, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Cleveland believes teams are more willing to make mid-season trades and the exceptions it picked up on Monday — $10.5MM for Haywood and $2.85MM for Miller — gives it some flexibility to make those moves, Pluto continues. The Cavs’ salary cap concerns would have made any trade next season much more difficult without those exceptions, though they cannot be combined, Pluto adds.

In other news around the Central Division:

Second-round pick Sir’Dominic Pointer is a longshot to end up on the Cavs roster this year, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes in his story on the Haywood deal. Cleveland drafted the small forward from St. John’s 53rd overall last month.
Reggie Jackson was convinced he would re-sign with the Pistons when they helped him with a family crisis, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. When Jackson found out his father Saul had a diabetic seizure in March, the organization flew Jackson on the team plane to Colorado to visit him, the story continues. That made a lasting impression on Jackson, who didn’t consider any other teams before signing a five-year, $80MM deal as a restricted free agent to remain with the club. “I think I knew then I didn’t need to be nowhere else,” Jackson said to Ellis. “In my mind I was already here, but that kind of solidified it. There was no need to even play around and do free agency. I was good.”
Only the first year of Glenn Robinson III‘s three-year contract with the Pacers is guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Robinson will make $1.1MM this season, then $1.05MM in 2016/17 and $1.09MM in 2017/18 in the non-guaranteed years, Pincus adds. The signing was officially announced on Monday.

Pacers Re-Sign Lavoy Allen

July 27th, 2015 at 2:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 27TH, 2:17pm: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.

“We think he’s ready to step in and play more minutes at two different positions,” said Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird. “This is a great opportunity for him to play night in and night out at a high level.”

9:22pm: Allen’s deal will be worth a total of approximately $12MM, Spears tweets.

JULY 2ND, 7:12pm: The Pacers and free agent Lavoy Allen have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The pact is for three years, and includes a team option for the final season, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). The Clippers were also reportedly interested in the 26-year-old’s services.

In 63 appearances for Indiana last season, Allen averaged 5.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, with a slash line of .472/.000/.702. His career numbers are 5.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.0 APG. His career shooting numbers are .459/.143/.702.

Allen was the 50th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The 6’9″ forward began his career with the Sixers before being included in the deal that brought Evan Turner to the Pacers.

Pacers Sign Rakeem Christmas

July 27th, 2015 at 2:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:06pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

1:01pm: The Pacers haven’t formally announced the deal yet, but their official team Twitter account passed along a tweet from Christmas that depicts him signing his contract.

MONDAY, 9:32am: The final two seasons are partially guaranteed, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM, who hears the deal is for $4.3MM, slightly less than the $4.5MM originally reported (Twitter link)

THURSDAY, 6:14pm: The Pacers and rookie Rakeem Christmas have reached an agreement on a contract, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (on Twitter). The pact is for four-years and $4.5MM, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed, Haynes adds. Christmas was the No. 36 overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft.

Christmas’ draft rights had been acquired from the Cavaliers earlier today in exchange for the 2019 second round pick that Indiana garnered from the Lakers in the Roy Hibbert trade. Cleveland reportedly made the deal for Christmas in order to acquire a draft pick that it could use to help flip Brendan Haywood‘s uniquely valuable non-guaranteed contract.

The 23-year-old averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks to go with a slash line of .560/.000/.681 during his four years spent at Syracuse. Christmas logged 17.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG during his senior season.