Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Sign Andrew Nembhard To Three-Year Extension

July 26th, 2024 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26: Nembhard’s extension with the Pacers is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

JULY 24: The Pacers and guard Andrew Nembhard have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, agents Todd Ramasar and Jaafar Choufani tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The new deal will begin in 2025/26, replacing Nembhard’s team option for that season. According to Wojnarowski, it’ll be worth the maximum amount that the Pacers guard can receive on a three-year extension based on NBA rules (140% of this season’s $12.93MM estimated average salary, with 8% annual raises).

Nembhard will earn a starting salary of approximately $18.1MM in ’25/26 and a total of $58.65MM across the three seasons. The 24-year-old is making a minimum salary of about $2.02MM in the final year of his current contract in ’24/25.

The 31st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Nembhard has started 110 of 143 games for the Pacers since entering the league, posting averages of 9.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .467/.353/.797.

While he typically starts alongside star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the former Gonzaga standout also shares backup point guard duties with T.J. McConnell, taking on additional ball-handling responsibilities when he’s not on the floor with Haliburton.

As Wojnarowski points out, Nembhard was Indiana’s top performer when Haliburton was unavailable in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals this spring due to an injury. He averaged 28.0 PPG, 9.5 APG, and 5.0 RPG on .564/.538/1.000 shooting in those two single-possession losses to the eventual champion Celtics.

Nembhard’s deal will be the third long-term contract handed out to a key rotation piece by the Pacers this offseason. Pascal Siakam received a four-year, maximum-salary deal, while Obi Toppin signed a four-year, $58MM pact. Haliburton’s five-year max extension, signed in 2023, also takes effect this season.

Nembhard will be suiting up at the Olympics in Paris this summer, providing depth in a loaded Canadian backcourt headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.

Olympic Notes: Top Medal Contenders, Jovic, Murray, Nembhard

July 26th, 2024 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The men’s basketball event at this summer’s Paris Olympics has a good chance to be the most competitive international men’s tournament of all-time, contends Brian Windhorst of ESPN. As Windhorst writes, just making the 12-team field is an accomplishment in itself, given that plenty of worthy clubs didn’t make the cut, such as Luka Doncic and the Slovenians, who reached the semifinals at the last Olympics in Tokoyo.

While Team USA will enter the event as the significant favorite to win gold, the Americans will face stiff competition from Canadian and Australian squads heavy on NBA talent, Serbian and Greek teams headed up by superstars (Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo) with multiple MVP awards under their belts, a German club coming off World Cup gold in 2023, and a host team (France) anchored by the NBA’s top two finishers in Defensive Player of the Year voting (Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama), Windhorst writes.

Windhorst identifies USA vs. Serbia on Sunday as the biggest pool-play game to watch this weekend, and singles out a pair of crucial Group A showdowns – Spain vs. Greece and Canada vs. Australia – to watch on Tuesday.

Here’s more on the Olympic men’s basketball tournament, which tips off on Saturday:

Nikola Jovic‘s availability for the Olympics appeared to be up in the air in recent weeks due to a foot/ankle injury, but the Heat forward was included on Serbia’s 12-man roster and expects to play off the bench on Sunday in the team’s pool-play opener vs. Team USA, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I really feel good now,” Jovic said. “Life is great. I may not be in the best shape, but I’ll be ready for the game.”
As noted earlier this week, Jamal Murray hasn’t seen much action during Team Canada’s pre-Olympic tune-ups, raising questions about how ready the Nuggets guard will be when the Canadians’ Olympic schedule tips off on Saturday. However, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), word from the team’s scrimmage vs. Brazil on Wednesday was that Murray’s minutes got “into the teens” and he looked “great.”
In a feature for Sportsnet.ca, Grange takes a closer look at Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, a rising star on the Canadian national team who just agreed to a three-year extension with Indiana. The 24-year-old wasn’t on the roster for last year’s World Cup, but is expected to play a significant role in Paris. “He plays with the highest of IQs, he’s probably one of my favorite players in the NBA right now, he’s just very underrated,” Murray said of Nembhard. “He’s very good defensively, he’s very deceptive on both ends of the court. He plays the passing lanes and he’s physical for his size … And he can lead a unit better than people give him credit for. I’m excited to play alongside him.”
In case you missed it, we have the full 12-man rosters for each team participating in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament right here. The list of 144 players includes 82 who are currently on NBA rosters or have previous NBA regular season experience.

Pacers Re-Sign James Johnson To One-Year Deal

July 25th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 25: The Pacers have officially re-signed Johnson, the team confirmed today in a press release.

JULY 24: The Pacers are bringing back James Johnson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who hears from agent Mark Bartelstein that the veteran forward has agreed to a one-year, $3.3MM deal with Indiana.

Johnson, 37, has played for 10 NBA teams since entering the league as the 16th overall pick in the 2009 draft, but he hasn’t signed with any club besides the Pacers since September 2022. He has been on and off Indiana’s roster since his initial arrival — this will be the seventh contract he has signed with the team in the last two years.

Johnson has only appeared in 27 games as a Pacer, averaging a modest 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game during those outings. However, he’s valued within the organization for his toughness, veteran leadership, and presence in the locker room.

The minimum salary for a player with Johnson’s years of service is $3,303,771, so it’s safe to assume that’s what his contract will be worth. The Pacers will carry a cap hit of $2,087,519, with the league picking up the balance.

It’s unclear if the deal will be fully guaranteed. Last season, Johnson signed a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Pacers in December, was waived in January before it became fully guaranteed, then was brought back on a pair of two-way contracts and eventually a rest-of-season agreement.

Prior to officially signing Johnson, the Pacers are carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed salaries for 2024/25, with James Wiseman on a partially guaranteed deal and Kendall Brown on a non-guaranteed contract.

Spurs Inquired On Young Point Guards Before Signing CP3

July 24th, 2024 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Before they signed future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to a one-year contract, the Spurs made several calls to teams around the NBA to inquire about the availability of younger point guards who have yet to enter their prime years, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Darius Garland of the Cavaliers and Andrew Nembhard of the Pacers were among the players the Spurs called about, Fischer reports. Cleveland has shown no interest in moving Garland and the Pacers presumably weren’t keen on trading Nembhard either — he has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Indiana that will make him ineligible to be dealt for six months.

Fischer also mentions Hawks star Trae Young and Josh Giddey – who was sent from the Thunder to the Bulls last month – as players who had San Antonio among their preferred destinations in the event of a trade. However, Young and Giddey now appear on track to open the 2024/25 season in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively, and Fischer doesn’t specify to what level the Spurs reciprocated either player’s interest.

While Paul will be Victor Wembanyama‘s primary pick-and-roll partner for the 2024/25 season, the Spurs figure to remain on the lookout for a player who can ideally fill that role for the next decade, Fischer writes.

No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is one candidate — he considers himself a point guard and San Antonio targeted the former UConn star for much of the pre-draft process, sources tell Yahoo Sports. However, as Fischer observes, Castle showed with the Huskies that he can thrive alongside another point guard, so even if they’re bullish on his NBA upside, the Spurs may not be prepared yet to pencil in the 19-year-old as the long-term answer at the position.

In addition to Paul and Castle, the Spurs also still have Tre Jones in the point guard mix. Jones is in the final year of his current contract and will reach unrestricted free agency next summer.

Ten 2024 Draft Picks Have Yet To Sign NBA Contracts

July 24th, 2024 at 7:44am CST by Luke Adams

Of the 58 players who were selected in last month’s draft, 48 have signed their first NBA contracts since the start of July. As our tracker shows, the breakdown is as follows:

First-round picks signed using the rookie scale exception: 30
Second-round picks signed using the second-round pick exception: 13
Second-round picks signed to two-way contracts: 5

That leaves 10 players from the 2024 draft class who have yet to sign with their respective NBA teams. Here are those players:

Utah Jazz: Kyle Filipowski, F/C, Duke
San Antonio Spurs: Juan Nunez, G, Ratiopharm Ulm
Atlanta Hawks: Nikola Djurisic, G, Mega Basket
San Antonio Spurs: Harrison Ingram, F, UNC
Indiana Pacers: Tristen Newton, G, UConn
Indiana Pacers: Enrique Freeman, F, Akron
Dallas Mavericks: Melvin Ajinca, G, Saint-Quentin
Golden State Warriors: Quinten Post, C, Boston College
Boston Celtics: Anton Watson, F, Gonzaga
New York Knicks: Kevin McCullar, G/F, Kansas

Of these 10 players, one has already signed a non-NBA contract — French team ASVEL Basket announced earlier this week that it has added Ajinca to its roster, so it appears he’ll become a draft-and-stash prospect, spending at least one season overseas before joining the Mavericks.

That’s likely the path Nunez will follow as well. While nothing is official yet, a report earlier this month stated that the Spanish point guard is expected to sign with Barcelona on a deal that will give him an NBA out during the 2025 offseason. The Spurs haven’t been operating as if they expect Nunez to be on their roster next season, having filled their 15-man roster with players on standard contracts.

Djurisic is the other international prospect in this group and his plans for 2024/25 remain unclear. He fractured his left foot during Summer League play and the injury is expected to sideline him until at least late September, putting him behind schedule in his offseason workouts.

The Hawks don’t appear to have room on their 15-man roster for Djurisic at this point (they have 15 players on guaranteed deals, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed contract), though they do have a two-way slot open. We’ll see if the plan is to have Djurisic take that spot or if he’ll continue playing overseas for another season.

The Jazz have space on their 15-man roster for Filipowski and I expect him to sign a three- or four-year contract sooner or later. Completing that move would cut into Utah’s cap room a little, so the club will likely handle its other offseason business to make sure it doesn’t need that room for other purposes — Filipowski can be signed using the second-round exception whether team salary is over or under the cap. The Jazz also have yet to formally finalize reported deals with Drew Eubanks and Johnny Juzang, which is another sign they’re keeping all options open with their cap room.

The other six unsigned second-rounders – Ingram, Newton, Freeman, Post, Watson, and McCullar – all look to me like obvious candidates for two-way contracts. As we detailed on Tuesday, the Spurs, Pacers, and Knicks each have multiple open two-way slots, while the Celtics have one open spot, so there’s nothing standing in the way of their draftees filling those openings.

It’s worth noting that Indiana has two-way qualifying offers on the table for two players (Quenton Jackson and Oscar Tshiebwe), so there won’t be room for those two guys and Newton and Freeman on two-way deals. With 14 players on standard contracts, the Pacers could give one of those four players a 15-man spot if they want to retain all of them.

The Warriors, meanwhile, don’t currently have an open two-way slot for Post. One of their two-way players – Pat Spencer – is a carry-over from last season, so his grip on a two-way spot might be weaker than more recent signees like Reece Beekman and Daeqwon Plowden, but Spencer had a strong Summer League showing, so I’m not necessarily assuming Post will take his spot.

For what it’s worth, Post was born and raised in the Netherlands before playing college basketball in the U.S., so spending a season in Europe wouldn’t be a total curveball for him. Still, at age 24, he’s probably NBA-ready. A standard contract isn’t an option for Post for now, since the Warriors are right up against their first-apron hard cap and can’t afford to sign a 15th man. That could change if they make a trade, but for now, his best hope of opening the season with Golden State would be for the team to waive one of its two-way players.

While it’s rare for U.S.-born players to be stashed overseas, it’s not unheard of, so that’s also a possibility for some of the other unsigned players from the back half of the second round.

Another potential option would be signing a G League contract that allows the player’s NBA team to retain his rights while not dedicating an 18-man regular season roster spot to him. There’s often at least one player per draft class who takes that route. Mojave King did it in 2023, Gui Santos did it in 2022, and two Nets draftees (RaiQuan Gray and Marcus Zegarowski) did it in 2021. McCullar, a late pick who is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained at Kansas, might be a candidate for this path.

Nets’ Jalen Wilson Named Summer League MVP

July 22nd, 2024 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets forward Jalen Wilson has been named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, the league’s communications department tweets.

Wilson averaged 21.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.6 steals while shooting 47.3% from the field and 55.0% from 3-point range in five games in Vegas.

His performances should solidify his spot on the team’s roster this upcoming season. The 23-year-old has a $1.89MM minimum-salary contract for 2024/25 that is currently just partially guaranteed for $75K. It increases to a partial guarantee of $325K if he makes the opening night roster.

Oddly, Wilson was only named to the All-Summer League Second Team. The First Team included the Grizzlies‘ GG Jackson II and Scotty Pippen Jr,, the Clippers‘ Jordan Miller, the Rockets‘ Reed Sheppard and the Heat‘s Kel’el Ware.

The Grizzlies and Heat reached the Summer League championship game. Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in last month’s draft, averaged 20.0 points, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 steals in four Las Vegas outings.

Along with Wilson, the Second Team included the Wizards‘ Carlton Carrington, the Trail Blazers‘ Donovan Clingan, the Heat‘s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and the Pacers‘ Jarace Walker (Twitter links).

Tshiebwe, Jackson Try To Hold Onto Two-Ways

July 21st, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Oscar Tshiebwe and Quenton Jackson are both in the same spot with the Pacers — they’re restricted free agents after receiving qualifying offers and trying to hold onto their two-way spots, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star writes. Tshiebwe and Jackson combined for 39 points in Indiana’s Summer League finale, but their futures with the organization remain tenuous.

Central Notes: Bulls, LaVine, Pistons, Mathurin, Morris

July 15th, 2024 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Las Vegas, Bulls president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas explained why the front office waited until this summer to shake up a roster that finished below .500 in each of the past two regular seasons.

“I think three years ago when we came up with our plan, our formula, that worked for a short period of time until we got into injuries. The reactions, the second year and then obviously, we waited a third year to see where we at,” Karnisovas said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Now, we’re kind of making these changes. You could argue it’s too late or early. But that’s where we are right now. We felt that we owed to that group to give them a chance to figure it out. And when we cannot figure it out, that’s when it’s up to us to have direction of the team and make changes. And that’s what happened.”

Those changes have included trading Alex Caruso for fourth-year guard Josh Giddey and letting DeMar DeRozan leave for Sacramento in a sign-and-trade deal. As Johnson relays, Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley both raved about DeRozan’s three years in Chicago, referring to him as a player who represented the team’s values and who was an “extension of (head coach) Billy (Donovan) on the court and off the court.”

While a trade involving Zach LaVine remains possible before the 2024/25 season begins, the Bulls’ top executives suggested on Sunday that they don’t want to make a bad deal to just get LaVine – who has three years left on his maximum-salary contract – off their books. Karnisovas spoke as if the team is preparing for the two-time All-Star to remain on the roster this fall, and Johnson says management believes injuries contributed to LaVine’s slow start last season.

“We expect Zach being fully healthy. And he is healthy. I think he can help this group next year. He’s been professional,” Karnisovas said. “Again, he’s healthy. We expect him to be with us at the start of training camp.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Pistons‘ roster isn’t necessarily a finished product, but with 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, it’s getting pretty close, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. With that in mind, Edwards explores what the team’s depth chart for 2024/25 might look like, explaining why he’s penciling in Ausar Thompson over Simone Fontecchio as a starter at small forward.
Bennedict Mathurin, whose 2023/24 season came to an early end due to shoulder surgery, has “almost been cleared for contact,” according to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files). The expectation is that Mathurin will be ready to go for training camp this fall.
The Pacers announced on Saturday that Jim Morris, the vice chairman of Pacers Sports and Entertainment, has died at the age of 81. “There are no words that would do justice to how consequential Jim’s life truly was,” Pacers governor Herb Simon said as part of a longer statement. In a statement of his own (Twitter link), NBA commissioner Adam Silver referred to Morris as “Indiana royalty.”

Groups Revealed For 2024 NBA Cup

July 12th, 2024 at 7:28pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The NBA has announced the five-team groups for this year’s in-season tournament, now renamed the Emirates NBA Cup, the league announced in a release on Friday (Twitter link).

Like last year, there are six groups — three each from the Western Conference and Eastern Conference — and each conference was split into five groups based on last year’s standings. One team was selected at random from each group to determine the group round matchups.

The results are:

West Group A: Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, Rockets and Trail Blazers
West Group B: Thunder, Suns, Lakers, Jazz and Spurs
West Group C: Nuggets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Warriors and Grizzlies
East Group A: Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Nets and Hornets
East Group B: Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Raptors and Pistons
East Group C: Celtics, Cavaliers, Bulls, Hawks and Wizards

The NBA Cup begins with group play, which runs from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3. Each team plays one game against each of the four opponents in its group. The NBA released a matchup matrix to help fans follow along (Twitter link).

Just like last season, the winner of each group advances to a knockout round alongside the team with the best record in each conference that didn’t win a group. The semifinals and finals will again be played in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Last year, the Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament over the Pacers. LeBron James was named the tournament MVP after dropping 24 points in the title game.

The full game and broadcast schedule for group play will be announced next month.

Central Notes: Mobley, Pacers, Bulls, Buzelis

July 11th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Could Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension, sign a deal to secure his long-term future in Cleveland this summer? During an appearance on ESPN Cleveland (YouTube video link), Brian Windhorst of ESPN expressed optimism that an agreement will be reached sooner rather than later.

“I would expect the contract to be done somewhat soon,” Windhorst said. “I think the Cavs are willing to give him the max, and quite frankly, they don’t have a leg to stand on now that the guys around him in their draft class with comparable statistics and comparable futures have gotten the max.”

Across 50 healthy contests last season for the 48-34 Cavaliers, the 6’11” power forward averaged 15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 0.9 steals per game with a .580/.373/.719 shooting line. If he gets a maximum-salary extension, he would be the fourth player from the 2021 draft class to do so, joining Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, and Cade Cunningham.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Fresh off their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in a decade, the Pacers still have roster spots available, including all three of their two-way slots, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Three current Summer League players for Indiana are all in the mix for spots on the 18-man regular season squad. Swingman Kendall Brown is on a non-guaranteed contract, while guard Quenton Jackson and center Oscar Tshiebwe are both restricted free agents after serving on two-way contracts in 2023/24. Indiana also has a pair of unsigned second-round picks (Tristen Newton and Enrique Freeman) and has a decision to make on the fate of unrestricted free agent forward James Johnson, a veteran enforcer who is more of a locker-room presence than a rotation player at this stage of his career.
Although the Bulls have offloaded two of their veteran starters, six-time All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan and two-time All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso, in separate deals this summer, Chicago may need to make further roster moves to maximize their tanking opportunity, opines Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic.
Rookie Bulls point forward Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick out of the G League Ignite in this year’s draft, is hoping to make a major two-way impact in his first NBA season, as he revealed during a new interview on NBC Sports Chicago’s “Bulls Talk” podcast. “My rookie year, I’m not going to have any plays ran for me,” Buzelis said (hat tip to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago for the transcription). “So I have to go play defense and be an energy guy and make open shots.”