Al Jefferson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Notes: Culture, Bitadze, Sabonis, Lemon

October 16th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers players are eager to praise the culture in Indiana, with Malcolm Brogdon referring to the front office as a “very transparent group,” while Victor Oladipo calls president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard and GM Chad Buchanan “very interactive,” per Jonathan Abrams of Bleacher Report. As Abrams details, the Pacers’ decision-makers believe in open communication with their players and have promised to inform those players if they’re engaged in any serious trade talks involving them.

“There’s a little bit of quid pro quo, because if we do that and then the trade doesn’t go through, guys can check out,” Pritchard said. “When we say it’s at the five-yard line, you’re going to hear it from us. But if it doesn’t work out, you still have to have both feet in on the Pacers.

Pritchard and Buchanan told Abrams that they had conversations with Al Jefferson and Darren Collison in recent years about deals that nearly came to fruition, though neither trade ultimately happened.

“Their agents probably appreciate it as much as the player, [but] there’s downsides to it,” Pritchard said. “There’s no doubt there’s potential downsides. But I think there’s an upside in that if you come here, that you’re going to be told the truth.”

Abrams’ piece is a good read that’s worth checking out in full, particularly for Pacers fans. Here’s more out of Indiana:

Speaking to Abrams, Pritchard pushed back against the idea that the Pacers drafted big man Goga Bitadze in June with an eye toward trading him. “A lot of people thought we did that with Goga. I still don’t understand that,” Pritchard said. “… We felt like Goga was the best player on the board. In the draft, you don’t want to hit a single. If you’re hitting a single in the draft and keep hitting singles in the draft, you’re going to be average at best in a low-revenue market. Big-revenue market, it’s still important, but not quite as.”
Domantas Sabonis is “known to be in active talks” with the Pacers about a possible rookie scale extension, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times. If the two sides don’t finalize a deal by 5:00pm CT on October 21, Sabonis will become a restricted free agent next summer.
After signing Walt Lemon Jr. last week, the Pacers acquired the guard’s G League rights today, according to a press release from the Fort Wayne Ants, Indiana’s NBAGL affiliate. Lemon appears likely to be waived by the Pacers in the next few days and then report to Fort Wayne.

Al Jefferson Confirms Retirement

March 23rd, 2019 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Al Jefferson, who announced last week that he plans to play in the BIG3 this summer, told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe his NBA career is over (Twitter link).

“I was able to be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas for the first time since high school,” Jefferson said.

The 34-year-old center played for five teams in 14 NBA seasons, ending his career with the Pacers. Indiana waived him in July to save $6MM on his $10MM contract for the current season. The Pacers offered him a chance to re-sign, but Jefferson opted to play in China, saying he had a chance for a “nice payday.”

The Celtics selected Jefferson with the 15th pick in the 2004 draft. He also spent time with the Timberwolves, Jazz and Hornets, averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG in 915 games.

Joe Johnson, Al Jefferson To Play In BIG3

March 14th, 2019 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

Ice Cube’s three-on-three BIG3 league has secured a couple of its biggest names yet, as the league announced (via Twitter) that Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson signed on to play in the BIG3 for the 2019 season.

Johnson, a seven-time All-Star, played in the NBA last season for the Jazz and Rockets, appearing in a total of 55 games. Although he didn’t catch on with a new NBA club this season, the 37-year-old also hasn’t announced his retirement as a player, so it’s possible he’ll still attempt a comeback in 2019/20 after spending the summer playing BIG3 ball.

In 17 NBA seasons, Johnson has averaged 16.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG with a .441/.371/.802 shooting line. He has appeared in a total of 1,276 regular season games for Atlanta, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Utah, Boston, Miami, and Houston, plus 120 postseason contests for those same teams (minus the Celtics).

As for Jefferson, the 34-year-old big man played in China this season after spending the previous 14 seasons with the Celtics, Timberwolves, Jazz, Hornets, and Pacers. His NBA averages stand at 15.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG in 915 career regular season games, and he was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2014. Like Johnson, he hasn’t indicated that he plans to retire as an NBA player, so a comeback next season remains a possibility.

While Johnson and Jefferson are two of the most noteworthy name added to the BIG3’s roster this summer, they’re far from the only former NBA players to join the league’s ranks. The BIG3 has also added Gilbert Arenas, Lamar Odom, Daniel Gibson, C.J. Watson, Charlie Bell, Stromile Swift, and many others to its player pool during the offseason.

Al Jefferson Set To Play In China

July 26th, 2018 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

2:24pm: Aldridge has confirmed that Jefferson will join the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China (Twitter link).

12:00pm: Veteran NBA big man Al Jefferson is opting to play in China for the upcoming season, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). According to Aldridge, Jefferson had an opportunity to rejoin the Pacers after being waived by the team earlier this month, but was offered a “nice payday” overseas.

Shortly after releasing him, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard revealed that Jefferson was mulling the possibility of playing international ball in 2018/19. While Aldridge’s report doesn’t specify which team Jefferson has lined up a deal with, a report earlier in July indicated that the big man was expected to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Jefferson, 33, has averaged 15.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG over the course of a productive 14-year NBA career, but played a career-low 13.4 minutes per contest for Indiana last season, appearing in just 36 games. Although the veteran’s per-minute production was still strong, he wasn’t a major part of the Pacers’ plans going forward, and his $10MM salary for 2018/19 was only guaranteed for $4MM, making it an easy decision to cut him.

Assuming Jefferson finalizes a deal with a Chinese club and spends the 2018/19 campaign overseas, he could return stateside in the spring, since the CBA season ends before the NBA’s does. This past April, for instance, Ty Lawson returned from a stint with the Shandong Golden Stars and immediately signed with the Wizards, claiming a regular rotation role with Washington during the team’s brief playoff run.

FA Rumors: LaVine, Parker, Jefferson, Beasley

July 6th, 2018 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Bulls and Zach LaVine aren’t necessarily close to a deal, the team has had communication with LaVine and his representatives, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. According to Johnson, the Bulls assured LaVine that speculation they wanted to do a $14MM-per-year deal wasn’t accurate, and have “proactively” negotiated in good faith with his camp on a deal that could be in the range of $18MM annually.

That seems like a very reasonable number for LaVine, particularly since only two other teams can currently offer a deal worth anything close to that, and neither of those teams seems to be pushing hard for the Bulls guard. As Johnson details, the Bulls don’t want to let LaVine get away and aren’t eager to have him play on his qualifying offer, so it seems like there’s a good chance the two sides will eventually get something done.

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

The market for Bucks RFA Jabari Parker hasn’t materialized like he hoped, tweets Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports, noting that there may be some league-wide concern about Parker’s attitude and health.
After being waived by the Pacers, Al Jefferson is considering playing overseas for the 2018/19 season, Indiana president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said today (Twitter link via Tony East of 8 Points, 9 Seconds).
Michael Beasley hasn’t heard from the Knicks since free agency began, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. A source tells Berman that Beasley, who is drawing interest from a couple teams, is “disappointed” in the lack of interest from the Knicks, but understands that they’re “going young.”
Longtime NBA forward Dorell Wright is finalizing an agreement to sign with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick.

Pacers Waive Center Al Jefferson

July 2nd, 2018 at 4:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have waived veteran center Al Jefferson, Keith Smith of RealGM tweets.

Jefferson had a partial guarantee of $4MM on his $10MM salary for next season. Indiana gains $6MM in cap space by the move and could use the stretch provision to create even more room for thie summer.

Though the Pacers declined their $4.33MM option on Lance Stephenson‘s contract, they have added plenty of salary in recent days. They guaranteed Bojan Bogdanovic‘s $10.5MM salary and Darren Collison‘s $10MM deal.

Indiana also made a surprising three-year, $22MM free agent splurge for forward Doug McDermott and agreed to terms with first-round pick Aaron Holiday.

Jefferson, 33, has played for Indiana the past two seasons. He saw spot duty in 36 games last season as the No. 3 center, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 13.4 MPG.

Pacers Notes: Oladipo, Culture, Jefferson

February 15th, 2018 at 9:08pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Pacers have been riding a wave of overachievement in the first half led by 2018 All-Star Victor Oladipo. With the departure of Paul George — who was dealt for Oladipo — the Pacers entered the season without a franchise star and dimmed playoff hopes. Thus far, the team is in playoff position and Oladipo is happy to be the leader, ESPN’s Mike Wells writes.

Ownership’s faith in the current roster was best demonstrated when the Pacers stood pat at the deadline. No moves were made the roster was given a vote of confidence to continue its mission. And, on this mission, the leader is a player who has developed into a possible franchise mainstay.

“After what we went through with somebody who didn’t want to be here, to have someone who really wants to be here is so rewarding and refreshing,” owner Herb Simon said to ESPN. “His whole spirit brought life into the whole team and the whole organization. So we love that.”

Check out other Pacers notes below:

General manager Kevin Pritchard was active on the phones during the deadline but a request from six Pacers players to not break up the roster swayed his opinion, NBA.com’s Mark Monteith writes. “Unless we knew we could really help the team I wanted to make sure there were no disruptions,” Pritchard said. “Our culture means everything.”
Al Jefferson is no longer the starting center who averages a near double-double, but he has an invaluable presence as a veteran on a young, overachieving team, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. Cory Joseph vouched for Jefferson’s ability and revealed a nickname he came up with for the veteran when he was in Utah. “Instant Buckets,” Joseph said. “That pump fake? When I was in San Antonio, we played Utah in the playoffs. I’d always be on the bench like, ‘Don’t jump.'”
In case you missed it yesterday, Hoops Rumors also caught up with Jefferson to discuss why he is happy to stay in Indiana and why the team “can do something special.”

Al Jefferson: Pacers Can ‘Do Something Special’

February 14th, 2018 at 1:52pm CST by marksuleymanov

Al Jefferson‘s second season with the Pacers reminds him of his first season with the now-defunct Bobcats four years ago. Neither team was expected to be in playoff contention, but 57 games into the 2017/18 campaign, the 32-25 Pacers – currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference — are on track for the postseason.

“Yeah man, it reminds me of my first year in Charlotte during the 2013/14 season,” Jefferson said to Hoops Rumors in an exclusive interview before Wednesday’s first-half finale against the Nets. “No one counted us, nobody thought we would be good, and nobody thought we would be a playoff team. We became a playoff team and did well.”

The Bobcats won just 28 total games in the two years before Jefferson signed a three-year, $40.5MM pact with Charlotte. Conversely, the Pacers began their post-Paul George era with reduced expectations and unanswered questions. Would Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis be a sufficient return for George? Can a team without an established star compete in the East? Could young players like Myles Turner take a step forward?

So far, the answer has been yes across the board.

Jefferson has 14 years in the NBA and five trips to the postseason to his credit. This season, the 33-year-old has accepted the role of reserve center and mentor. He has appeared in just 28 games, averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 13.6 minutes per game – all career-lows.

The Pacers reportedly explored several trades at the deadline and Jefferson’s name was floated in discussions. Ultimately, the organization stood pat as the deadline passed. Jefferson and other Pacers players were happy that ownership allowed the current group to continue its playoff push.

“People counted us out from the beginning and nobody thought we would be where we are now,” Jefferson said. “We have a great group of guys that plays hard, that plays together, and wants to win, and nobody cares about anything else but winning.”

Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard shared the sentiment.

“They feel like they are overachieving and had a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Pritchard told reporters, including The Indianapolis Star’s Jim Ayello on Sunday. “They wanted to have the opportunity to finish this out and try to get into the playoffs. That carried a lot of weight with me.”

At the All-Star Game this weekend, the Pacers will be represented by Oladipo, who is just the second Pacer not named Paul George to make the team since 2011. Indiana has also played well against the NBA’s upper echelon, with wins over the Celtics, Spurs, and Cavaliers to the club’s credit.

It will be a challenge to maintain their first-half level of play but Jefferson maintains the same confidence in the Pacers that Pritchard had when he decided to keep the band together.

“I think when you’ve got guys like that and a great coaching mindset like the coaching staff we’ve got, I think we could do something very special,” Jefferson said. “I’m a believer in taking it one game at a time and seeing how far you can go.”

Trade Deadline Rumors: Carroll, Kings, Lakers, C’s

February 8th, 2018 at 1:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets and Pacers have considered a deal that would send DeMarre Carroll to Indiana in exchange for Al Jefferson, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The deal would be a way for Brooklyn to clear money for next season, as Carroll is owed $15.4MM, while Jefferson has a $10MM salary that’s only partially guaranteed.

Carroll, who was traded to the Nets over the summer, is averaging career highs in scoring (13.2), rebounds (6.4) and assists (1.9). Jefferson has settled into a reserve role since coming to Indiana two years ago and is averaging 6.7 points and 3.9 assists in 26 games.

There’s more to report as the trade deadline draws closer:

The Kings are willing to move second-year center Georgios Papagiannis if they need to open a roster spot to complete a larger trade, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (Twitter link). However, Sacramento has since agreed to trade Malachi Richardson in a deal that seems designed to open up a roster spot.
With Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis both battling injuries, the Suns may be interested in a minor deal for point guard help, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Josh Gray is the only healthy option currently on the roster.
The Lakers appear to be done with major deals after acquiring Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye from the Cavaliers, relays Bill Oram of the SoCalNewsGroup (Twitter link). Oram adds that a minor trade could still be in the works.
The Celtics remain engaged on several trade fronts, but continue to be reluctant to include a first-round pick in a deal, sources tell Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
The Cavaliers weren’t able to gain any traction with the Hornets on a Kemba Walker trade before pulling the trigger on a series of separate deals, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Hornets Michael Jordan places a high value on Walker and won’t move him cheaply, Woj adds. Jordan said in a recent interview that he wouldn’t part with Walker “for anything but an All-Star player.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Woj’s Latest: M. Gasol, Evans, Pacers, Randle

February 8th, 2018 at 7:26am CST by Luke Adams

With general managers around the NBA gearing up for the final hours before the 2018 trade deadline, there’s not a whole lot of enthusiasm for an “impactful” day of deals, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, there’s a sense that trades will be made, but the day may be short on difference-making deals.

Still, Woj has several trade-related notes and rumors to pass along, so let’s dive in and round them up…

Teams have been reaching out to ask the Grizzlies about Marc Gasol, but those clubs have consistently been shut down, league sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As has been the case all season, Memphis refuses to engage in trade discussions involving Gasol.
The Grizzlies continue to seek a first-round pick for Tyreke Evans, but suitors like the Celtics, Nuggets, and Sixers have been hesitant to offer more than either a second-round pick or a young player, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Teams seem to be hanging onto their first-rounders tighter than ever, per Woj.
The Pacers have been aggressively seeking out deals that would allow them to land a first-round pick while taking on a bad contract, tweets Wojnarowski. Indiana is willing to offer Al Jefferson in such a deal, Woj adds. The veteran big man doesn’t have a lot of value, but his $10MM salary for 2018/19 is only partially guaranteed for $4MM, making it a pseudo-expiring contract.
The Lakers have passed on multiple offers of second-round picks for Julius Randle, league sources tell Woj (Twitter link). Randle’s impending restricted free agency makes it very unlikely that any club will put a first-rounder on the table.