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Pacers Starters Nesmith, Nembhard Out Multiple Weeks

November 10th, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith, sidelined by an left ankle sprain, won’t return until at least next month, coach Rick Carlisle said on Sunday, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Nesmith opened the season as the team’s starting small forward but hasn’t played since Nov. 1. One of the team’s top defenders, Nesmith is averaging 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season while shooting 52.5% from the floor and 54.5% from three-point range. He averaged 12.2 PPG and 4.0 APG last season while starting 47 of 72 games.

Andrew Nembhard, who is dealing with left knee soreness, will miss at least two weeks, according to Carlisle. Nembhard has started seven games in the backcourt this season, averaging 7.3 PPG and 4.7 APG. His last appearance came on Wednesday, when he played 31 minutes against Orlando. Nembhard started 47 of 68 games last season, averaging 9.2 PPG and 4.1 APG.

It’s been a rough go for the club in terms of injuries during the early stages of the season. Indiana has lost two backup centers, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, to season-ending Achilles tendon tears.

Forward Obi Toppin is sitting out Sunday’s game against the Knicks with a left ankle sprain.

Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, T.J. McConnell and Johnny Furphy could all see their minutes expand while Nesmith and Nembhard mend.

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And-Ones: Sumner, Ingram, Under-Scrutinized Moves

August 24th, 2024 at 10:23am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former NBA guard Edmond Sumner signed a contract with the Sichuan Blue Whales in China, agent Misko Raznatovic announced (via Twitter). Sumner was the 52nd overall pick in the 2017 draft.

Sumner played five seasons in the NBA, most recently with the Nets in 2022/23. He spent the first four years of his career with the Pacers, averaging 7.5 points per game in ’20/21, his best statistical season. He started in 24 of his 53 appearances that year and looked like a potential long-term fixture with the team.

Unfortunately, Sumner suffered an Achilles injury that kept him out of the entire ’21/22 season. He signed a contract with Brooklyn in the 2022 offseason, averaging 7.1 PPG in 53 games (12 starts). However, he didn’t wind up with the team beyond that and played last season in Lithuania.

In all, Sumner holds NBA averages of 6.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 161 career regular season games (41 starts).

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • The market for Brandon Ingram has stalled this offseason as the Pelicans determine whether an extension is viable or whether there’s a trade that makes sense. Attempting to find a solution for the Ingram situation, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposes a three-team trade involving the Pelicans, Nets and Jazz. In this hypothetical scenario, the Jazz would get Ingram and Day’Ron Sharpe, New Orleans would receive Cameron Johnson and Walker Kessler, and the Nets would acquire John Collins, Brice Sensabaugh and a 2025 first-round pick (the more favorable of Cleveland’s and Minnesota’s picks, from Utah). Pincus reasons that while acquiring Ingram could endanger Utah’s chances at landing a top selection in the draft, he would provide a young running mate on the wing for Lauri Markkanen. Pincus opines that the deal makes sense for the Pelicans because they add shooting and size while the Nets would receive a young prospect and a first-round pick.
  • After previously breaking down some offseason moves that flew under the radar, John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a look at some of this summer’s transactions that carry more risk. Hollinger writes that Andrew Nembhard‘s contract worries him, because the Pacers already had him under contract for two more seasons at about $2MM per year. This new contract wipes away the second year, meaning he’s getting $57MM in new money over the following two seasons. Hollinger also expresses concerns with multiple various rookie max extensions, Immanuel Quickley‘s contract with the Raptors, Max Christie‘s deal with the Lakers and Patrick Williams‘ long-term agreement with the Bulls.
  • In case you missed it, Goran Dragic‘s farewell retirement game is streaming on the NBA App at 2 p.m. Eastern. Current and former stars like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki will be participating.
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Pacers Notes: Nembhard, Siakam, Johnson

July 29th, 2024 at 6:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard could have waited longer before agreeing to his three-year extension worth about $59MM, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes in a subscriber-only piece. In two years, Nembhard could have tested the market as an unrestricted free agent and seen if teams would have paid him to be a lead guard. However, Dopirak explains that the deal make sense for both sides.

Nembhard’s $2MM salary for 2024/25 is set to be the second-lowest on the team next season, only ahead of second-round rookie Johnny Furphy. By signing an extension now, Nembhard ensured he won’t have to earn a minimum salary in 2025/26 too, since his new deal replaced his team option for that year. His stock is also the highest it’s ever been after he averaged 14.9 points and 5.5 assists en route to a Pacers conference finals appearance.

Additionally, if staying with this group was an important factor for Nembhard, it made sense to sign now before Indiana gets too expensive. Myles Turner and T.J. McConnell are both set to become free agents next season and Bennedict Mathurin is soon to be extension-eligible.

As for the Pacers, locking up Nembhard to a deal worth just under $20MM per year could be a savvy move if the team believes in his postseason production. He looked like a legitimate lead guard in the last two games of the Celtics series, averaging 28.0 points. Immanuel Quickley could be a reference point for what Nembhard may have been able to get if the Pacers had held off, since he became a feature guard recently and earned a deal worth about $175MM. In other words, it made sense to sign Nembhard to a deal that runs through 2028 to prevent other teams from outbidding them in a couple years.

We have more from the Pacers:

  • Nembhard’s agent Todd Ramasar expects the guard to have a big summer for Team Canada in the Olympics after signing his extension, Mark Medina of Sportskeeda relays in an exclusive interview. Ramasar raved about the Pacers’ care for Nembhard through his career in the interview and stated that the trust they’ve shown in him is what led to the extension getting done now. “I think it’s good for both sides,” Ramasar said. “I think in a year or two that people are going to say it’s a bargain for the Pacers and maybe even after next season. … It takes pressure off him so he can focus purely on his game and help contribute to winning basketball with the Pacers.“
  • Ramasar is also Pascal Siakam‘s agent, and he said the two-time All-Star feels at peace this offseason after spending the last year worrying about his contract extension, according to Medina. Siakam signed a four-year extension worth $189.5MM. “There’s just a focus [on basketball this offseason],” Ramasar said. “There are no distractions.“
  • James Johnson‘s $3.3MM minimum-salary contract with the Pacers is partially guaranteed for $750K, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). The full amount would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through January 7. Johnson has served as a locker-room presence for a young Indy team over the past two seasons, appearing in 27 games for the organization.
  • It’s somewhat possible that Johnson doesn’t make the opening-day roster if the Pacers decide they want to keep reigning G League Rookie of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe and sign 2024 second-rounder Enrique Freeman. Indiana only has one open two-way roster spot and no standard 15-man spots available. However, Johnson, Kendall Brown, and James Wiseman don’t have fully guaranteed salaries.
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Stein’s Latest: LaVine, Vucevic, Nembhard, Morris, C. Jones, More

July 26th, 2024 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

While Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic remain trade candidates, it appears increasingly likely that both players will open the 2024/25 season as Bulls, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

League sources tell Stein that the Bulls are “resigned” to the fact that they’re unlikely to find a deal they like for LaVine before opening night and may have to try to help him rebuild some trade value early in the season.

As for Vucevic, his contract (two years for about $41MM) should be easier to move than LaVine’s, but the expectation is that it will be easier for Chicago to find a deal sometime after the season begins than before that, Stein explains.

Here are a few more items from within Stein’s latest look around the NBA:

  • According to Stein’s sources, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was only willing to accept a three-year extension from Indiana rather than a four-year deal. The contract will put Nembhard in position to sign his next contract in 2028 when he’s 28 and presumably right in his prime.
  • The Mavericks remain committed to re-signing forward Markieff Morris, even after filling their 15-man roster by adding Spencer Dinwiddie, Stein reports. As Stein observes, A.J. Lawson is the most vulnerable of the 15 players on standard contracts, since his 2024/25 salary is non-guaranteed.
  • Former NBA guard Carlik Jones, a key member of the South Sudan Olympic team, is committed to playing for KK Partizan next season after not exercising his NBA out by the July 25 deadline, according to Stein, who notes that Donta Hall‘s new two-year contract with Baskonia has an NBA out after the 2024/25 season.
  • Evan Fournier and Patty Mills, who finished last season on NBA rosters but don’t have contracts for 2024/25, are among the notable free agents to watch at the Olympics, according to Stein. Stein is also curious about whether a strong showing from Nets guard Dennis Schröder in Paris could help boost his trade value as the German enters a contract year.
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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.

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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.
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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.

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Team Canada Finalizes 2024 Olympic Roster

July 10th, 2024 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Canadian national team has formally announced its 12-man roster for the Paris Olympics, making its final cuts ahead of Wednesday’s exhibition games against Team USA.

Team Canada’s 12-man squad is as follows:

While the group obviously isn’t as star-studded as the U.S. roster, it’s headed up by a 2024 MVP finalist (Gilgeous-Alexander) and a guard who was the second-best player on the 2023 NBA champions (Murray). In total, it features 10 active NBA players, and all of them played regular roles for their respective teams in 2023/24.

The only two non-NBA players are Birch, who spent six seasons in the league but now plays in Spain, and Ejim, a former Iowa State standout and a Team Canada veteran who has been a productive contributor for several teams in Europe since 2014.

Andrew Wiggins is among the notable names missing from Team Canada’s squad for Paris. He was on the original training camp roster but withdrew right before camp began due to what the Warriors referred to a mutual decision. Various reports, however, suggested that Golden State was the party driving that decision.

Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey also removed his name from the training camp roster in order to focus on Summer League and his first NBA season.

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, both of whom were coming off injuries that ended their 2023/24 seasons, were among the players who attended training camp but weren’t in the mix for roster spots for the Paris Olympics. Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller was in that group too.

This will be the first time Canada has been in the men’s basketball event at the Olympics since 2000.

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Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray Headline Canada’s Preliminary Olympic Roster

June 19th, 2024 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Canada Basketball has formally announced its preliminary roster for the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. The 20-man group will have to be trimmed to 12 players for Paris.

Here are the 20 players vying for spots on Team Canada’s Olympic roster, which will be coached by new Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez:

All 12 players who helped Canada clinch an Olympic berth and claim a bronze medal at the 2023 World Cup are included in the preliminary roster, along with several notable newcomers, including Murray, Wiggins, Lyles, and Nembhard.

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, whose seasons ended earlier due to injuries, will also attend training camp with Team Canada, but won’t be in the mix for roster spots this summer, according to today’s announcement.

Even without Sharpe or Mathurin in the mix, the Canadians can put together a formidable NBA-heavy squad that should be in contention for a medal in Paris. Gilgeous-Alexander, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Powell, Olynyk, and Alexander-Walker were the top seven players on last year’s squad and look like relatively safe bets to represent Canada again. If Murray, Wiggins, Lyles, and Nembhard were to join them, that would leave just one open spot for the remaining nine invitees.

One notable omission from the 20-man preliminary roster is veteran guard Cory Joseph, who spoke to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca earlier this week to express his disappointment about being left off the list. Joseph was unable to compete for a spot on the World Cup team last year due to a back injury, but was among the 14 players who made a commitment in 2022 to be part of Canada’s “summer core” for the current Olympic cycle.

“I took the honor of playing for your country very seriously and did it many times over the years,” Joseph told Grange. “This is not me complaining, I’m not a complainer. But there were times when I put FIBA basketball and playing for my country over my NBA situation at the time, whether I was in a contract year and I had no contract at the time and I went to go play for my country, whether I had little bumps and tweaks, I was there. Whether guys came or not, I always thought we still had a chance. For me it’s a little disheartening to be like, ‘Wow, I wasn’t even given an opportunity to compete for whatever position?’

“… I had planned to go to camp, and when you’re talking about the (last three or four spots) on the roster, there’s a pool of talented guys you could put on the roster, (but) I don’t see, in that situation, where I wouldn’t at least be invited to camp to be one of those guys (to compete for a spot), so that’s where my disappointment is with the organization. … I don’t want to take away from the fact that Canada Basketball is in a great place. This is not that. I love all those guys. I want them to do well. Quote that. I just think I should have been invited to camp at the very least, 100 per cent.”

Team Canada will hold its training camp in Toronto from June 28 to July 7 before heading to Las Vegas for an exhibition game vs. Team USA on July 10. The Canadians will also play exhibition matches with France on July 19 and the winner of the Puerto Rico Olympic qualifying tournament on July 21.

Canada will be in Group A at the Olympics, along with Australia. The group will be filled out by the winners of the qualifying tournaments in Spain and Greece.

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Stein’s Latest: Lakers’ Coaching Search, Nembhard, Siakam, Mitchell

June 5th, 2024 at 8:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

J.J. Redick and James Borrego have emerged as the top two names in the Lakers‘ coaching search, but there’s increased speculation about Monty Williams if the Pistons let him go, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Detroit is going through an organizational shakeup after Trajan Langdon took over as head of basketball operations, and it’s possible that Williams could be replaced along with general manager Troy Weaver, even though Williams still has five years remaining on the $78MM contract he signed last summer.

Stein points out that the Lakers have pursued Williams before. Prior to hiring Frank Vogel in 2019, L.A. first reached out to Tyronn Lue, then turned to Williams after negotiations with Lue fell apart. Williams chose an offer from the Suns over the Lakers.

Signs still point to Redick as the favorite to be the next head coach, with the Lakers hoping to add Borrego as an assistant. However, Stein hears skepticism around the league that the Pelicans would agree to release their associate head coach from his contract for a lateral move.

There could be a small source of conflict if Redick is the selection, Stein adds, noting that Redick, who’s an awards voter due to his role as a broadcaster with ESPN, didn’t put Anthony Davis on his ballot for first or second team All-Defense honors. Davis finished fourth in the DPOY voting.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

  • The Pacers‘ Andrew Nembhard raised his value with a stellar postseason performance and some teams are now convinced that he can be a successful lead guard, sources tell Stein. That could eventually result in offers greater than what Indiana can give him in an extension this summer. Nembhard is only owed $2MM next season, so a four-year extension that replaces his 2025/26 team option would be worth about $75MM. Without an extension, the Pacers could make Nembhard a restricted free agent next summer by turning down their option for ’25/26 and issuing a qualifying offer. That would allow them to match any offer he gets on the open market.
  • Pacers forward Pascal Siakam is still considering whether to represent Cameroon in an Olympic qualifying tournament next month, Stein adds. One complication is that Siakam is expected to verbally commit to a new contract with Indiana before the start of free agency on June 30. However, the moratorium prevents that deal from being finalized until July 6, which is after the start of the international competition. Siakam may be reluctant to risk injury before his new deal is official.
  • A source tells Stein that the Cavaliers have reasons to be optimistic about their chances of an offseason extension with Donovan Mitchell. There has been repeated speculation that Mitchell might be moved this summer if he doesn’t make a long-term commitment.
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