Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Pacers, Heat, Humphries

August 13th, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Cray Allred

The biggest remaining free agent name from an Eastern Conference team is Greg Monroe, and the big man is reportedly close to accepting a qualifying offer to remain with the Pistons for what would almost assuredly be his final year in Detroit. Here’s a rundown of other notes out of the East:

In a reader chat response, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders says he hears that the Pacers are working the phones and gauging interest in their players for trades.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel suggests that, outside of financial limitations, the Heat haven’t signed some of the better remaining free agents because team cohesiveness is being prioritized over talent for end-of-the-bench spots. Winderman says an abundance of quality players vying for playing time in Miami has created tension in recent years.
Kris Humphries told reporters including Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post that his time in Boston made him a more efficient player, and that he’s excited to play for the up-and-coming Wizards this season. “I talked to Brad all the time and it’s just one of those things where, ‘Man, you got me a lot better,’” said Humphries. “Handling the ball, making plays, things like that. Shooting. I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for the opportunity to keep playing in a lot of situations like the one I was in.”

Poll: Which Departures Will Teams Regret?

August 13th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Cray Allred

While many teams were spurned by their players for greener pastures despite their best efforts this offseason (the Heat by LeBron James, the Lakers by Pau Gasol, the Nets by Shaun Livingston) some teams decided not to up the ante when they could have, allowing key contributors to sign elsewhere. We’ll run down a few of the latter, and explore whether these teams will regret their decision:

Lance Stephenson – from Indiana to Charlotte. Had Paul George‘s injury occurred before free agency, the Pacers might have been more willing to meet Stephenson’s demands. Instead, they let arguably their most versatile offensive piece walk, refusing to improve their five-year, $44MM offer before the combo guard signed with the Hornets for three years and $27.4MM. Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles are the incoming guards Indiana hopes can lessen the combined loss of Stephenson and now George. The Pacers also seeking Shawn Marion‘s services, but aren’t expected to win out over the Cavs in that pursuit.
Chandler Parsons – from Houston to Dallas. The Rockets declined an option to retain Parsons for another season on one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league. The team decided to take their chances with the forward’s restricted free agency this summer rather than letting him hit unrestricted free agency next offseason, but ultimately decided against matching the Mavs’ three-year, $46.1MM offer sheet. The Rockets let Parsons go in part because they had already locked up Ariza, who is next on the list.
Trevor Ariza – from Washington to Houston. Ariza bolted from the Wizards after turning in a career year for a team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Wizards were unwilling to increase their offer, which equaled Houston’s four-year, $32MM arrangement, but practically amounted to $3MM less due to differences in state taxes. Washington quickly signed Paul Pierce in the wake of Ariza’s departure, and received an exception by signing-and-trading Ariza that was partially spent on Kris Humphries.
Channing Frye – from Phoenix to Orlando. In a surprise signing, the Magic snatched the sharp-shooting Frye away from the Suns, who wanted to bring him back to their surprise-playoff roster. Frye is one of a few bigs that stretch the floor at an elite level, and the team signed another shooter in Anthony Tolliver to make up for Frye’s loss. Orlando’s deal with the 31-year-old was for four years and $32MM.
Isaiah Thomas – from Sacramento to Phoenix. The Kings didn’t see the scoring machine of a point guard in their future, signing Darren Collison while Thomas was still a restricted free agent. Thomas was one of only five players to average 20 PPG and 6 APG last season. Sacramento hasn’t recouped much scoring punch in free agency, but did acquire a $7.2MM trade exception, as well as the rights to Alex Oriakhi, by executing a sign-and-trade sending Thomas to Phoenix.

As with any transaction, these front offices weighed the immediate future against their long-term plans, and tried to make the wisest choice. It might be painful to lose some of these players in year one, but fans might breathe a sigh of relief if the same players are underperforming for their new teams in the future. Then again, a player could blossom into an even stronger producer, compounding any misgivings about the teams’ non-action. What do you think?

Pacers Receive Disabled Player Exception

August 12th, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The NBA has granted Indiana’s request for a disabled player exception in the wake of the Paul George injury, reports Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). It’s worth $5.305MM, meaning Indiana can use that amount to sign a player to a one-year deal or acquire a player on an expiring contract via waiver claim. The Pacers may alternatively use the amount plus $100K to trade for a player, as long as the player’s contract doesn’t extend past this coming season. Still, it’s unlikely the team would use the full amount of the exception, given its tight squeeze against the luxury tax line, one which Larry Bird reiterated today that the club will not cross.

The Pacers had been among the teams limited to signing players for no more than the minimum salary, so the exception will at least give Indiana the power to exceed that amount. Indiana has a team salary of $74,810,552, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports, which puts the club $2,018,448 shy of the tax threshold. The Pacers can afford themselves some breathing room if they release the partially guaranteed contracts of Luis Scola or Shayne Whittington, though Whittington seems a much stronger candidate to go. Donald Sloan has a non-guaranteed minimum salary, but Bird said today that the team intends to keep him beyond Friday, when his contract becomes fully guaranteed, so that’s one fewer avenue to salary flexibility.

Whittington’s rookie minimum salary is only guaranteed for $25K, so the Pacers could increase their room beneath the tax to $2,500,784 if they waive him. That would be more than $1MM in excess of what the Cavs can offer Shawn Marion for this season, since Cleveland can hand out only the veteran’s minimum. The Pacers have continued to make a push to sign Marion, who’s reportedly leaning toward inking with the Cavs instead. Bird said today that he believes Marion wants to sign with a title-contending team. Indiana’s hopes probably vanished when George went down, but Bird also indicated today that he doesn’t intend to make moves that would further weaken the team this year and will instead try to win as many games as possible, as the Star’s Michael Pointer chronicles (Twitter link).

Bird didn’t rule out the chance that George returns to play this season after suffering a compound leg fracture in a Team USA scrimmage earlier this month, but the executive acknowledged that the club expects George to remain out for the year. The league grants a disabled player exception based on a medical prognosis that would put a player out for the balance of the season, but there’s no penalty if the player surprises and returns to action. Any player acquired via the exception may continue to play for the team in that scenario.

Eastern Notes: Monroe, Harrington, George, C’s

August 12th, 2014 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

The idea that Greg Monroe would take a max offer from the Pistons isn’t necessarily true, as Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said last month, according to Vincent Goodwill (Twitter link). A resolution to Monroe’s restricted free agency still seems a ways off, as we passed along earlier today. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Al Harrington hopes to sign with the Wizards after he returns from China, as he tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. He’ll make much more on his deal with China’s Fujian Sturgeons than he would have on an NBA minimum-salary contract, the forward also said in his conversation with Michael. The Wizards were unwilling to commit to re-signing Harrington before he inked the Chinese deal, Michael hears, though Washington was open to having him return as an assistant coach. Other NBA teams were interested in him as a player, Harrington said, but none of them were title contenders.
Pacers executive Larry Bird isn’t ruling out a return to action for Paul George at some point this season, even though the team is “sort of expecting him [to be] out all year,” as Bird said today to reporters, including Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). We rounded up more of Bird’s remarks right here.
Celtics draft-and-stash prospect Colton Iverson has signed with Laboral Kuxta of Spain, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). David Pick of Eurobasket.com first reported the agreement (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal for the 53rd overall pick from 2013, his agent tells Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com (Twitter link).
Celtics summer leaguer Dairis Bertans received invitations to training camp from NBA teams, but he’ll continue to play in Spain instead, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.
Ray Allen has expressed a wish in past years that he could wait until September to decide whether to play the following season, so his unwillingness to commit to a team for 2014/15 is no surprise, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his mailbag column.

Pacers Rumors: Marion, Sloan, Tax, George

August 12th, 2014 at 11:37am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat lost LeBron James, but it’s the team Miami beat in the last two Eastern Conference finals that seems in line to tumble farther down the standings this year. The Pacers garnered the most votes when I asked Hoops Rumors readers last week to identify which team had endured the worst offseason so far. More than two months remain before opening night, so while Indiana probably won’t find anyone who can deliver the production of Lance Stephenson and the injured Paul George, there’s time left to tinker. Here’s the latest:

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird left Monday’s meeting with Shawn Marion with the sense that even though the forward remains undecided, he wants to play for a contender, as Bird said Tuesday to reporters, including Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That confirms what fellow ESPN scribe Marc Stein had been hearing and explains why the Cavs continue to be the apparent front-runners for the 36-year-old. Marion has a positive working relationship with Cavs GM David Griffin dating back to their days together with the Suns organization, as Stein also writes in his piece.
Indiana intends to keep Donald Sloan past Friday, when his non-guaranteed minimum salary will become fully guaranteed, Bird also said today, as Stein notes (on Twitter).
Bird reiterated that the Pacers remain steadfast against crossing the $76.829MM luxury tax line, tweets Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. “We’ll never go over the [luxury] tax,” Bird said. “My owner [Herb Simon] has told me he won’t do that.” Indiana’s team salary is $74,810,552, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports, leaving them $2,018,448 shy of the tax line. The Pacers are applying for a $5.305MM disabled player exception in the wake of the George injury, as Bird confirmed today, Pointer tweets, but they’d have to rid themselves of other salaries in order to use the full amount. Luis Scola and Shayne Whittington are on partially guaranteed contracts, though guaranteeing Sloan’s deal limits Indiana’s flexibility.
Doctors believe that George will eventually make a full recovery, Bird and coach Frank Vogel said, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press.

Shawn Marion Leaning Toward Cavs

August 12th, 2014 at 7:44am CST by Cray Allred

AUGUST 12TH: The Cavs are still in the lead for Marion even as Indiana continues to push for the 36-year-old, who met Monday with Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

AUGUST 6TH: Shawn Marion is leaning heavily toward signing with the Cavs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Earlier today, Cleveland was considered merely an “intriguing” option for the forward, who was also being hotly pursued by the Pacers. Wojnarowski reports that Indiana has already moved on from Marion due to his interest in joining Cleveland.

Indiana could have offered Marion a greater role and more salary, assuming their disabled players exception request would have been approved by the league. However, the Pacers expectations are grim following Paul George‘s injury, and the return of LeBron James has made the Cavs a magnet for veteran free agents all summer. Chauncey Billups was the latest player to register interest in playing for Cleveland, and the team has already signed Mike Miller and James Jones.

Joining James has looked even more appealing in recent days, as momentum builds toward a rumored trade sending Kevin Love to Cleveland. If the Cavs gave up Andrew Wiggins in such a deal, Marion would alleviate some of the defensive concerns that scenario has raised. Marion will likely be a better shooter than Wiggins this season, although he wouldn’t create the same athletic dynamic that would have existed between James and the No. 1 pick.

And-Ones: Marion, Rockets, Spurs

August 11th, 2014 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

With NBA training camp approaching, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if D-League prospects should sign camp invites or take advantage of offers for guaranteed money overseas. The bigger names, he writes, can probably afford to go through training camp and take a stab at making an NBA team. The lesser-known ones, however, might want to think about going overseas. Here’s more from around the league..

Free agent forward Shawn Marion had a face-to-face meeting earlier today with Pacers president Larry Bird, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Last week it was reported that Marion was leaning heavily towards the Cavs but the Pacers are hoping that they can sway him.
Kostas Papanikolaou‘s nearly $4.8MM first-year salary with the Rockets is believed to be the greatest amount any NBA team has ever handed out for the rookie season of a second-round pick, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets.
In the wake of Mark Davis’ whirlwind tour of San Antonio, sources with knowledge of the visit said Spurs Sports & Entertainment would be against the Raiders, as they are currently structured, relocating to South Texas, write Tom Orsborn and Josh Baugh of the San Antonio Express-News. Spurs shareholder Charlie Amato says that the solution would be for the Spurs’ ownership group to have a controlling interest in the Raiders or perhaps any other franchise that wanted to move to San Antonio.
The recent ruling against the NCAA could help the NBA in its efforts to raise the age limit, writes Tom Ziller of SBNation.com. The Ed O’Bannon ruling grants colleges the right to pay players up to $5K per year and one of the big arguments against an age minimum was that would force prospects to play for free in the NCAA. Now, that’s no longer the case, even if the $5K figure is chump change compared to what many of the top collegiate stars should rightfully earning in relation to the revenue that they draw.

Central Notes: Allen, Hibbert, Wiggins

August 11th, 2014 at 7:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Cavs signed New Mexico big man Alex Kirk. The 6’11” center averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game in his junior year this past season and drew interest as a second round choice but went undrafted in June. More out of the Central Division..

Ray Allen said earlier today that we won’t need to wait for word from a secret inside source – he’ll just come out with a decision on his future when he figures it out, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Allen has been heavily connected to the Cavs and there has been some conflicting information about his basketball future in recent weeks.
With speculation that the Pacers could explore a Roy Hibbert trade, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post makes the case for the Nuggets going after him and offering JaVale McGee. Acquiring Hibbert would enhance Denver’s defensive profile while giving themselves a legitimate on-the-block scorer. Meanwhile, McGee would give Indiana an active big man that blocks shots and runs the court like a gazelle.
Andrew Wiggins is in limbo as he waits to be sent from the Cavs to the Wolves, but he’s not losing sleep over it, writes Ian Harrison of The Associated Press. “Whatever happens is out of my control,” he said. “I’m not worrying about it right now.”

Paul George To Miss Season

August 6th, 2014 at 8:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 8:04pm: The Pacers will apply for the disabled player exception, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. This confirms that Indiana has ruled George out for the season. The exception requires medical prognosis of a player’s absence for the entire year. If granted the exception, the Pacers will have $5.305MM to spend to replace George through free agency. The exception doesn’t reduce George’s cap hit, meaning Indiana is unlikely to use the full exception and exceed the luxury tax line. Applying for, receiving, or using that exception will not preclude George from returning in 2014/15, should he make an unexpected speedy recovery.

SATURDAY, 8:33am: Sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com that doctors believe Pacers swingman Paul George is likely to miss all of next season after suffering a horrific injury to his right leg early in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Team USA intra-squad scrimmage in Las Vegas. No official prognosis has been given yet.

The injury occurred when George attempted to block a transition layup by James Harden, and George’s leg came down awkwardly and buckled as he knocked into the basket stanchion. George then remained down on the court as trainers, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and members of George’s family who were present rushed to his side. His leg was placed into an air cast and after approximately 15 minutes, George was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and surgery. The scrimmage was then cancelled in light of the devastating turn of events.

In a statement released after surgery was completed, posted by Windhorst, USA Basketball confirmed that George suffered an open tibia-fibula fracture and is expected to remain hospitalized for about three days. Windhorst’s sources also informed him that there didn’t appear to be additional damage besides the fractures. Dr. Riley Williams, a Team USA orthopedist who also works with the Nets, was with George, notes Windhorst.

The most recent example of a similar injury and possible recovery time is the leg injury that then Louisville guard Kevin Ware suffered during the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Ware missed roughly nine months of action, then returned to the court during the 2013/14 season, but after nine games decided to redshirt the remainder of the season to allow the leg to fully heal.

The injury to George has already caused a number of NBA owners and GM’s to rethink their stance on letting their star players participate in international play, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). One GM told Wojnarowski that this would be a “game changer” going forward. Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes that the current NBA deal with FIBA states that teams can’t bar players from international competition unless there’s “reasonable medical concern” going in. This was recently demonstrated when the Spurs denied Manu Ginobili permission to participate in the FIBA World Cup due to the recovery time needed for the stress fracture in his leg.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the injury, or the impact on participation in USA Basketball, writes Windhorst. But Colangelo did say, “This is a tough blow, not only for USA basketball but for the Indiana Pacers. And so as an organization we’re just going to let a little time go by here before we address rosters. … It seems so unimportant in the scheme of things. When you have something like this, it puts things in perspective.”

The team had planned to reduce the 20-player pool to 14 or 15 players today but put off those plans after George’s injury, notes Windhorst. Coach Krzyzewski said in regards to those plans, “Everything’s on hold, and it should be. It would be so inappropriate for us to talk about anything else when there is an injury like this.”

As for the impact on the Pacers, if George is indeed out for the season, then Indiana would be able to apply for a disabled player exception. The exception would be equivalent to the amount of the $5.305MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Disabled player exceptions are for either half the player’s salary or the mid-level, whichever is less–which in this case would be the mid-level seeing as George is scheduled to make $15,937,290 during the 2014/15 season. But the Pacers would be unlikely to use the entire disabled player exception due to them being roughly $2MM shy of the tax line.

MarShon Brooks Likely To Sign With Italian Team

August 6th, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 6:01pm: Brooks is likely to sign with Olimpia Milano in the coming hours, tweets Enea Trapani of Sportando.

TUESDAY, 10:56pm: Free agent guard MarShon Brooks is progressing towards finalizing a contract with Olimpia Milano Armani of the Euroleague, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The Kings, Pacers, and an unnamed Eastern Conference contender had also been in discussions with Brooks.

The Italian team had been close to signing E’Twaun Moore, but interest from a pair of NBA clubs prompted Moore to hold off on heading overseas. Brooks played for the Kings in the NBA summer league last month, and averaged 10.1 points and shot 53.1 percent from the field in seven games.

The 6’5″, 25 year-old swingman has played for four different teams in his three years in the league. His career numbers are 7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, and 1.4 APG. His career slash line is .442/.326/.748.