Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers, Keisei Tominaga Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

July 5th, 2024 at 6:56am CST by Luke Adams

Undrafted Japanese guard Keisei Tominaga has agreed to join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Tominaga, who initially declared for the draft in 2023 before returning to Nebraska for his “super-senior” season, averaged 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.1 minutes per game across 32 outings (all starts) for the Cornhuskers in 2023/24. A strong outside shooter, he made 37.6% of 6.3 three-point attempts per contest after knocking down 40.0% of his threes a year earlier.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Tominaga is the second undrafted rookie to reach an agreement on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers — they’re also bringing aboard Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James.

Central Notes: Smith, LaVine, Mitchell, Rivers, Bucks’ Staff, Wright

July 2nd, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

On the surface, the Bulls’ three-year agreement with free agent Jalen Smith may not seem like a big deal. But The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry believes the former Pacers big man could be due for a breakout season.

Smith fits into the Bulls’ aim of getting younger and more athletic. He’s adept at rim-running and offensive rebounding and he’ll improve their interior defense, Mayberry writes, adding that Smith could even become the starter if Nikola Vucevic is dealt.

We have more from the Central Division:

An NBA insider tells The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley that the relationship between Zach LaVine and the Bulls’ top brass is completely shattered and “filled with mistrust.” The Bulls are trying hard to move LaVine and his big contract. If they fail in those efforts before training camp, the front office and ownership would consider that the worst-case scenario.
With the Cavaliers getting Donovan Mitchell to agree to an extension, the gamble they made in agreeing to that blockbuster 2022 deal with Utah has paid off for the team and the city, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic opines. Mitchell’s presence in the Cleveland lineup will keep it in contention for the foreseeable future, he adds.
The Bucks have salary-cap issues and will have to rely more on their younger players to fill in the gaps. Coach Doc Rivers isn’t fazed by that prospect, he told Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We wanted young talent. We did,” Rivers said. “We think that skill development in our league is becoming more and more important. The more of the young talent you can get to bring up with the veteran talent, the better. And that’s what we’re going to do all summer. Free agency is here right now, and now we’re looking for other guys, more veterans, to add to the mix. I like the mix of guys I think we’re going to end up with and it’s exactly the ratio that we want right now.”
The Bucks have finalized their coaching staff, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. The Bucks have hired Darvin Ham, Greg Buckner, Jason Love and Spencer Rivers as additions to the staff this summer. Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Pete Dominguez, Joe Prunty and Vin Baker will remain on Rivers’ staff.
The Bucks are adding veteran guard Delon Wright on a one-year deal and Nehm takes a closer look at what he could bring to the rotation.

FA Rumors: KCP, Harden, Kennard, Hartenstein, Jones, Highsmith, More

June 30th, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

After Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported earlier today that the Nuggets are preparing to lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms there’s a growing belief around the league the veteran wing won’t remain in Denver.

The Magic have “significant” interest in Caldwell-Pope and there has been growing buzz about the possibility of Orlando aggressively pursuing him, Scotto says, adding that the Magic’s interest in Klay Thompson has cooled by comparison. Multiple executives who spoke to HoopsHype believe Caldwell-Pope will sign for $20-25MM per year.

The Sixers, who have also frequently been cited as a Caldwell-Pope suitor, have been exploring the feasibility of landing both KCP and Paul George using their cap room, tweets Marc Stein.

Here are several more rumors with the official start of free agency just a couple hours away:

While James Harden has been mentioned as a possible mid-level ($12.9MM) target for the Lakers, the expectation is that the Clippers will be willing to pay him approximately double that amount, Scotto writes, echoing a comment made by Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN (YouTube link).
Rival executives aren’t expecting Luke Kennard to be truly available as an unrestricted free agent, according to Fischer, who says Kennard and the Grizzlies seem to be interested in continuing their relationship after the team turned down its option the sharpshooter on Saturday.
New Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon is known to be a fan of center Isaiah Hartenstein, so Detroit is considered a candidate to make a play for the Knicks big man, Fischer reports. A return to the Knicks still hasn’t been entirely ruled out for Hartenstein, though the Thunder continue to be viewed as a probable suitor as well, Fischer notes.
With point guard Tyus Jones seeking starter-level money as a free agent this offseason and the Wizards still in the early stages of their rebuilding project, there’s a growing sense that Washington will be open to moving Jones via sign-and-trade, per Scotto.
Free agent wing Haywood Highsmith is expected to draw interest from a mix of cap-room teams such as the Pistons, Hornets, Jazz, Spurs, and Sixers, as well as over-the-cap clubs like the Pacers, Kings, and Warriors, league sources tell Scotto, who suggests the 27-year-old could end up with a deal in the range of the full mid-level.
The Lakers are expected to have interest in re-signing both Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie, with Dinwiddie also likely to draw interest from the Mavericks, Scotto writes. NBA executives who spoke to HoopsHype projected Prince to potentially land a contract in the range of $5MM+ annually over two years.

Trade Rumors: LaVine, Johnson, Ingram, Pacers, Carter

June 30th, 2024 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls don’t appear to have made any progress on the Zach LaVine trade front, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link). Chicago has made an effort this offseason to find a taker for LaVine, but hasn’t found many teams with interest — even if a draft pick is attached to the two-time All-Star.

“Literally, there is no market for Zach LaVine,” Marks said. “They are trying to give him away and attach a first-round pick. I’ve been told that by multiple people.”

LaVine’s maximum-salary contract looks especially onerous as teams grapple with the implications of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. He’s owed $43MM next season coming off foot surgery and has a guaranteed salary of $46MM in 2025/26, with a player option worth nearly $49MM for ’26/27.

Here are a few more trade rumors from across the league:

Nets forward Cameron Johnson is generating trade interest from the Raptors and Kings, with the Pacers and Magic among the other teams to register exploratory interest, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Cavaliers have been mentioned as another possible suitor for Johnson, but “nothing has materialized on that front” yet, according to Scotto. Brookyn is believed to be open to inquiries to most of the veterans on its roster after having agreed to send Mikal Bridges to New York.
The Kings are a team to keep an eye on as a possible suitor for Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram, Scotto writes, confirming reporting from Jake Fischer. For now, Sacramento’s interest in Ingram has only been exploratory, Scotto notes.
Teams talking to the Pacers have inquired about youngsters Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker, per Scotto. While there has been no indication that Indiana is looking to move either player, the team made the Eastern Conference finals without Mathurin available and has reached lucrative new free agent deals for two power forwards who are ahead of Walker on the depth chart (Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin), so it’s fair to wonder whether they’ll be available this summer.
With the Magic considered a potential suitor for Isaiah Hartenstein, teams have expressed interest in trading for Orlando center Wendell Carter, according to Scotto, who says the Pelicans are among the clubs to inquire on Carter.

FA Rumors: KCP, Pacers, Mid-Level Usage, Suns, Gillespie, Bullock

June 30th, 2024 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

While teams with cap room have been mentioned most frequently as the top suitors for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link) has continually heard the Pacers mentioned as a team to watch for the veteran swingman.

A previous report suggested that a cap-room club like the Sixers or Magic could make an oversized short-term offer (e.g. two years, $50MM) for Caldwell-Pope, but Singer says he’s heard KCP would prefer a longer-term deal.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, if the Nuggets are willing to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal, a package along the lines of Aaron Nesmith and Jarace Walker might work financially, based on Caldwell-Pope’s projected salary range. However, a sign-and-trade involving Caldwell-Pope would hard-cap the Pacers at the first tax apron and the Nuggets at the second apron, so some financial creativity could be required, especially on Denver’s end.

Here are a few more free agency rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Within his latest round-up of rumors, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports says not many teams around the NBA are expected to use the full mid-level exception to sign a player, since it can now be used as a de facto trade exception, so there’s some value in retaining a portion of it. Of course, even last season, before the mid-level could be used to accommodate trades, only one team used the entire amount on a single player (Toronto on Dennis Schröder).
The Suns have been linked to a ton of potential minimum-salary point guards, according to Fischer, who names Kyle Lowry and Monte Morris as two of the players viewed as possible targets for Phoenix. There has even been some chatter about the possibility of a reunion with Chris Paul if he’s waived by Golden State, Fischer adds.
After being made an unrestricted free agent by Denver, guard Collin Gillespie is expected to receive interest from the Hawks, Hornets, Suns, and Timberwolves, sources tell Fischer. Gillespie may have to accept a two-way contract and compete for a standard roster spot, Fischer adds. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (Twitter link) confirms Minnesota’s interest in Gillespie but says the team doesn’t seem likely to land him.
Veteran wing Reggie Bullock is unlikely to re-sign with the Rockets, sources tell Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Iko, multiple teams have interest in Bullock, who figures to be a minimum-salary target.

Obi Toppin Signs Four-Year Contract With Pacers

June 30th, 2024 at 12:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 6: Toppin has officially re-signed with the Pacers, the team announced in a press release.

“Obi Toppin embraced our city, our team, and his role from the moment he arrived, and then proved time and again to be an integral part of the success we achieved last season in reaching the Eastern Conference Finals,” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “Obi’s style of play, selfless attitude, and work ethic are all consistent with the culture we’ve built here, and we’re confident he will play a key role for us moving forward.”

JUNE 30: Restricted free agent Pacers power forward Obi Toppin intends to sign a four-year, $60MM contract to stay in Indiana, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

As Wojnarowski notes, the 6’9″ Dayton alum emerged as a critical bench contributor for a Pacers club that advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals this past spring for the first time in a decade.

The eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Toppin was traded from New York to Indiana a year ago in exchange for a pair of second-round picks after he spent his first three professional seasons with the Knicks. In his first year as a Pacer, the 26-year-old set new career highs in points (10.3), rebounds (3.9), and assists (1.6) per game, as well as field goal percentage (57.3%) and three-point percentage (40.3%).

With tentative deals in place for Pascal Siakam (four years, maximum salary) and Toppin, the Pacers’ team salary for 2024/25 projects to be about $6.4MM below the luxury tax line with at least two roster spots still to be filled, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan.

While it’s technically possible for the Pacers to use their full mid-level exception and stay below the first tax apron, doing so would make them a taxpayer, so that’s unlikely. It also remains to be seen whether the team will have room under the tax to bring back free agent big man Jalen Smith on a new deal after he opted out of his contract on Saturday. Of course, a cost-cutting move to create additional spending flexibility is always a possibility.

Toppin had been the No. 27 player on our list of this summer’s top 50 free agents.

Hawks, Bruno Fernando Agree To Push Back Guarantee Date

June 29th, 2024 at 9:36pm CST by Luke Adams

For a second straight year, the Hawks and Bruno Fernando have reached an agreement to push back his salary guarantee date, reports Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).

In 2023, Atlanta moved Fernando’s salary guarantee deadline from June 29 to July 10, then ultimately kept him on the roster, guaranteeing his full $2.58MM salary for ’23/24. The guarantee date for his $2.72MM salary for ’24/25 has been pushed from June 29 into next month, Williams says, though there are no specific details yet on the new date.

Fernando is one of several players around the league who had a June 28 or June 29 salary guarantee date on his contract for 2024/25. Here are updates on a few of the others:

T.J. McConnell‘s $9.3MM salary for 2024/25, which had been partially guaranteed for $5MM, became fully guaranteed when the Pacers guard remained under contract through Friday, as Tony East of SI.com tweets. Given McConnell’s on-court value to Indiana, he was obviously never in danger of being waived.
That’s also true of Lauri Markkanen, whose contract with the Jazz featured a salary guarantee deadline on Friday. We can safely assume the team didn’t make any effort to push that date back, so the star forward’s $18MM salary for next season is now guaranteed.
Dante Exum remains in the Mavericks‘ plans going forward, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, who notes (via Twitter) that the guard’s $3.15MM salary for 2024/25 became guaranteed when he wasn’t waived on Friday. Exum had a very successful return to the NBA last season after two years in Europe, averaging 7.8 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.7 RPG with a .533/.491/.779 shooting line in 55 games (19.8 MPG) for Dallas.
Josh Minott‘s $2.02MM salary with the Timberwolves for 2024/25 is now guaranteed, tweets Dane Moore of Blue Wire Podcasts. Minott’s cap hit is a little less than that of a two-year veteran’s minimum, so in addition to having the opportunity to continue developing the 2022 second-round pick, Minnesota will save a little money by carrying him in place of a minimum-salary signing.
Reporting last week suggested that the Rockets planned to keep center Jock Landale through his guarantee date on Saturday, and there have been no indications since then that the plan has changed or that his deadline has been pushed back, so we’re assuming his $8MM salary for 2024/25 is now fully guaranteed. Landale, who had an inconsistent role last season, could be used as a salary-matching piece in a Houston trade at some point during the coming league year.
Our early salary guarantee date tracker has been updated to reflect all of these updates.

QO Decisions: Jazz, Okeke, Pacers, Krejci, Celtics, More

June 29th, 2024 at 8:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz declined to issue qualifying offers to guard Kira Lewis or center Micah Potter ahead of Saturday’s deadline, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links). As a result, both players will be unrestricted free agents this summer rather than restricted.

Lewis, the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft, didn’t establish himself as a rotation player during three-and-a-half seasons in New Orleans. He was traded from the Pelicans to the Pacers to the Raptors to the Jazz during the 2023/24 season, and played a limited role in Utah after arriving from Toronto as a salary-matching piece in the deal involving Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji. His qualifying offer would have been worth $7.74MM, so it comes as no surprise that it wasn’t tendered.

Potter also played sparingly for the Jazz last season while on a two-way contract, though he has shown some promise in the G League and is part of the U.S. Select Team that will scrimmage with Team USA ahead of the Olympics. His qualifying offer would’ve been for a partially guaranteed minimum-salary deal. According to Jones, a return to Utah is possible, though Potter may receive interest from other teams.

The only Jazz player eligible for restricted free agency who received a qualifying offer is guard Johnny Juzang, Jones reports (Twitter link). Since he has finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with Utah, Juzang wasn’t eligible for another two-way qualifying offer, so his QO is for a partially guaranteed one-year minimum deal.

Here are more qualifying offer updates from around the NBA:

Former Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke didn’t receive a qualifying offer that would’ve been worth about $7.4MM and will become an unrestricted free agent, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Okeke, 25, has played good defense since entering the league in 2020, but hasn’t contributed much offensively, averaging 6.3 points per game on .383/.318/.789 shooting in 189 career contests (20.3 MPG).
The Pacers have tendered qualifying offers to Obi Toppin ($7.74MM), Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way), and Quenton Jackson (two-way), according to a pair of stories from Tony East of SI.com. All three players will now be restricted free agents.
The Hawks have issued a two-way qualifying offer to guard Vit Krejci, making him a restricted free agent, a league source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Krejci is a candidate to negotiate a standard contract with Atlanta after finishing the 2023/24 season as a rotation player. He could also sign an offer sheet with another team, but the Hawks would have the right to match it.
After declining Neemias Queta‘s team option for 2023/24, the Celtics tendered him a qualifying offer, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Two-way player Drew Peterson also got a qualifying offer from Boston, but JD Davison didn’t, Smith adds. Queta’s QO will be worth approximately $2.37MM, while Peterson’s will be for another two-way contract.
The following players also received two-way qualifying offers, according to Smith: Lakers big man Colin Castleton (Twitter link), Bulls forward Adama Sanogo (Twitter link), Spurs wing David Duke (Twitter link), and former Warriors guard Nico Mannion (Twitter link), whose RFA rights continue to held by Golden State as he continues his career overseas. San Antonio issued a $2.7MM qualifying offer to big man Sandro Mamukelashvili too, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Smith.
The Clippers opted not to extend qualifying offers to two-way players Xavier Moon and Moussa Diabate, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter links). The door isn’t closed on a new deal for either player, but it sounds like they’ll explore their options as unrestricted free agents, per Murray. The qualifying offers for Moon and Diabate would have been partially guaranteed minimum-salary offers, since they were ineligible for another two-way QO.
Neither Nate Hinton nor Jermaine Samuels received a two-way qualifying offer from the Rockets, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Both players will be unrestricted free agents.

Pacers’ Jalen Smith To Decline Option, Become Free Agent

June 28th, 2024 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers big man Jalen Smith has decided not to pick up his player option for the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Declining that $5.42MM option will make Smith an unrestricted free agent on Sunday.

Smith, one of Myles Turner‘s backups at center, was among the beneficiaries of the Pacers’ high-flying offense led by Tyrese Haliburton, setting new career highs in points per game (9.9), field-goal percentage (59.2%), and three-point percentage (42.4%) in 2023/24. He also contributed 5.5 rebounds per game in his part-time role (17.2 MPG).

Teams with interest in Smith may be wary of his leap in efficiency – he was a 48.5% career shooter, including 29.7% on three-pointers prior to ’23/24 – but he’s a versatile forward/center who is still just 24 years old and should get a long look from teams in need of frontcourt depth.

A new agreement with Indiana remains a possibility, since the team will hold his Bird rights and can go over the cap to re-sign him. However, Indiana has already committed to Pascal Siakam on a four-year, maximum-salary contract and will have to deal with Obi Toppin‘s restricted free agency as well.

With the luxury tax line to consider and Isaiah Jackson a candidate to take on a larger role at the five, the Pacers will likely be cautious about how high they go to retain Smith, who came in at No. 42 on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.

Pacers To Sign Josiah-Jordan James To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 28th, 2024 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James will join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Mike Wilson of The Knoxville News Sentinel (Twitter link). He’ll be part of Indiana’s Summer League team and will be given a chance to earn a two-way roster spot, Wilson adds.

James is a fifth-year senior who appeared in 144 games during his time with the Volunteers. He helped Tennessee reach the Elite Eight this year for the second time in program history.

The 23-year-old appeared in 36 games this season, averaging 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.2 minutes per night while shooting 46.3% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.