Top 5 Free Agents the Indiana Pacers could pursue this summer

Top 5 Free Agents the Indiana Pacers could pursue this summer

Pacer Nation happy Wednesday welcome back to another episode here of your goto Pacers podcast setting the pace and I’m joined today by Michael J fi now fi they say absence makes the heart grow fonder but seeing you here on the screen I don’t feel any better at all actually I didn’t miss you one bit it was nice I get a break from your face so anyway welcome back man happy Wednesday hey a little upsetting to hear that but no I’m glad to be back man it was hot in Florida I was swea nonstop sweating profusely sweating like a game seven but feels good to be back Disney was great good family time but hey always great to talk some patient basketball I’m excited to be back and you know what maybe maybe I missed you maybe you did miss me I didn’t miss you it’s great to get a break I mean my God this guy been talking to him all year long never never a bad time to recharge but I will say this if you guys did not see on our social media post we are going to go to 3 days a week now for the summer schedule and of course if there’s newsworthy stuff to to cover throughout the throughout the weeks we will definitely hop on and discuss those but a lot of this stuff that we’re going to be talking about is stuff that won’t really have a Time sensitivity to it so we’re going to try and schedule our lives around the podcast and things like that but today we’re going to be talking about 10 free agents maybe we have some overlap maybe we don’t but this is going to be our list of free agents the Pacers could go after and fi I know a lot of people we’ve talked about this think that we have c space but we indeed do not have cap space if you’re a Pacer fan so we are looking strictly at this from a mid-level exception type of thing which the full midlevel is around $13 million just under underneath it but with that being said I think it does make it a little bit more difficult to find sexy name free agents to to talk about on today’s pod it’s true like look LeBron could hit free agency he ain’t gonna hit this list all right so you know there there’s certain players like Indiana’s not in the same spot they were last year where some teams could only offer Bruce Brown the mid-level and then here comes the Pacers throwing the bag you know Indiana is a bit limited if they do want to do things like resign Pascal cakam Obi what other moves you can make after that point so you’re not going to see a lot of allars on this list but I think you already have a good team in place for the Pacers it’s how can we add to it absolutely and I think the most interesting thing too is like I don’t even know if the Pacers will go fully into the mid level because that could put them very close to the TX so they could use part of their midlevel but not all of it so it’ll it’ll be interesting to see what they go out and do now fi the the names out here this year and with the Pacers roster as loaded as it is makes it really interesting I think a lot of people see guys like Paul George oan anobi those names at the top of the list of the free agency list I will say this the only way those are going to be possible for Indiana are sign in trades and me and fi will be doing our trade stuff next week so if you want to hear Maybe some more conversation about potential guys like that that we could go after okay maybe you should tune in next week but in terms of filling out the roster with this list right here it it is kind of difficult to do but it’s also kind of a challenge as well I think that there are some interesting names there that could make sense and we’ll explain those names as well but V you we’re not going to go with a you know working our way up to number one we’re just going to go back and forth sharing 10 total players on our list so tell me where you want to start so I’ll start towards you know guys that are maybe a little bit of a lesser value I guess we’ll go with that so save a little bit of a bigger name for last but in terms of one player I think could fit this team that’s Lonnie Walker Lonnie Walker is someone that has averaged about double figures for each of the last four years he shot 38% from three on about five attempts for Brooklyn he made $2.3 million so it’s not like he’s going to break the bank but when you’re looking for some three-point shooting to replace a buddy hee or a Doug McDermot I think that Lonnie Walker is a guy that’s Young than both of them and I think probably could be had for about $4 million or so on a one-year deal where he can come to Indiana get his value up and get paid elsewhere yeah Lonnie Walker is an interesting name pretty young guy still has some potential and I don’t ever think he’s going to be more than rotational guy back in kind of like an Aaron holiday level of player right Aaron holiday I think he is expected to leave the rockets on the latest reporting icea so someone like that that’s kind of a journeyman throughout the league trying to find their spot has had some moments here and there in a regular season but never really stood out and was that kind of player so Lonnie Walker is interesting to me now a name that you you did mention when talking about Lonnie Walker was Buddy Hill and F I don’t know if you saw this or not but buddy heill there’s been reports that he could get the minimum in free agency now look the Pacers offered him a pretty good deal I think the reports were around 4 for 72 million something like that 4 for 75 I can’t remember what it was but he turned down a lot of money to bet on himself and now it looks like the market might be drying up a little bit for Buddy heeld and I have him at number five I guess you could say or he’s one of the first players on my list here 31 years old we know what he we know everything about budy Hill he shot 45% from the field 39% from three last year 12.7 points per game he had a really good game against the Knicks in the playoffs for the 76ers clearly a really good shooter that fits this Pacers team stylistically offensively and I wonder if he would be welcomed back and if he’d be willing to take a lesser role with this team obviously was a great locker room presence everybody loved buddy held you didn’t hear anything negative about Buddy held from the players in the locker room so just throwing that out there if they want to bring somebody back that’s a little bit more familiar with this team you know we talked about at the time getting rid of Doug McDermot for buddy hild was a downgrade they could write that ship and bring buddy back as more of a a third dep you know third shooting guard whatever you want tring to say shooting guard the third shooting guard on the depth chart good grief yeah I mean look I think everybody would love buddy on a minimum deal compared to you know the 18 or so million dollars that he was making last year it just would he you know obviously he wouldn’t want to come back for the minimum it might have to play for the minimum somewhere so we’ll see I mean for a guy that uh you know never played in the playoffs before he didn’t play that much for Philly he played towards the you know the back end of that Series so it’s interesting because this Pacers team is good and they really could use the three-point shooting of Buddy again I’d be interesting to see what he actually gets in free agency I think it’s going to be far from what the Pacers originally offered but I wonder if it’s almost like going back to a job that you kind of left or are you gonna be happy there or is it going to be more of like a hey you know what I’m not getting the minutes that I wanted you know I could have already seen the writing on the wall like that type of thing so it’s an interesting situation if he would be willing to to play for the minimum Absol absolutely come on back sure it’ll be a reduced role maybe it’s a one-year deal because Buddy’s only going to sign about one more multi-year deal in his career you would think at this moment so it it would be it would be interesting but for the minimum all day I’m in yeah I think one of the problems here now that I’m I’m talking this out which it’s it’s it’s Buddy hild and if he’s going to get a minimum deal somewhere he’s GNA go somewhere he can play I agree so if the Pacers gave him a little bit more than the minimum just to kind of give him a chance maybe they G him like a one-year deal for $10 million which wouldn’t be the full midlevel they could trade that easily in a deal something like that could make some sense I don’t think Buddy Hill’s value was so low that people wouldn’t trade for him if he was on an expiring deal for $10 million but I definitely think Buddy Hill bet on himself and it didn’t work out because he just he’s such a liability defensively now the reason I just bring his name up is because of how he fits with Tyrese the relationship they have and the relationship he had with Rick Carlile and this offense you know he was a really good offensive player but you know when he left it wasn’t like Indiana was hurting that much for offense and things like that so his his floor spacing did make a big difference and I think we saw that and the Pacers had to kind of adjust with that I think that his floor spacing with Pascal could have been very beneficial in the playoffs but at the end of the day you know buddy held was traded for a reason there’s a reason why buddy held took this long to get into the playoffs and a little bit of trivia here for you fi but do you know who the longest active player is without a playoff appearance wow now now that it’s not buddy uh no name comes to mind who is it I I’ll throw out the team and see if you can give me the answer the Utah jzz radio silence is great for the podcast listeners right yeah know because here’s the thing the guys that come to mind of like a Lori marinin right there right there that’s the guy wow I started going in my head I’m like I’m sure he made it with Chicago but like no that that that’s interesting um wow interesting stuff that’s unfortunate for L because I I don’t I don’t think that the Jazz are close to making the playoffs next year so that that streaks probably going to continue yeah because remember he was on the Cavs team after the Bulls had made it it was on that Cavs team that ended up losing both games in the play did not make the playoffs and then he got traded for Donovan Mitchell so good good player definitely not his fault but at the same point um yeah I I think the Jazz are still in that like awkward area where they haven’t fully rebuilt so I don’t think they’re ready to kind of move forward but hey it’s some good trivia right there for as it relates to to buddy I just think at this point um it’s kind of like a been there done that but for the minimum you’re not going to get a better player probably than than a buddy hee so I would still what he got no would you be mad though like with the deal I just threw after there like that one for 10 million would you be mad about that I wouldn’t be mad but if you just ran this team back but then you added buddy to it it’s like ah like I’m kind of wishing for a defensive upgrade you know so so I feel like at that I’d be more of like I’m willing to give Buddy five million you know two for two for 10 maybe instead of one for much more realistic te option on the second year yeah yeah that would be the perfect scenario to bring him back I looked at Lonnie Walker he was only playing 17 minutes for Brooklyn I feel like that’s someone that you could probably play you know sub 15 minutes it’s not a big deal at all still a good three point shooter buty I feel like it’s gonna be hard to have him only playing 10 minutes a night or anything like that it just feels that uh I don’t know you could be a little bit disgruntled with that but yeah at least you know what you’re getting though that’s the thing you do know what you’re getting with Buddy you do you do and if he’s all right with that then then then that’s that’s really what matters because I think uh we’re at a point now where we really are trying to win and we’ve proved that we can win so he’d have to be bought into that all right let’s go to your next person my next guy this guy you really don’t have to play that much but he did play 58 games made nine starts last year for Denver it’s a name that we might all be familiar with it’s Justin holiday justtin warmer Pacer definitely an upgrade over Doug mcder defensively yet holiday still shot 40% from three so I don’t think that his role would have to be large but also think that he could help you out defensively a great addition to the bench he’s a veteran I think that Justin holiday is someone that wouldn’t command a lot of money by any means but could just be one of those small upgrades to round out this team no I I think that’s a good point to bring up because if you look at the Pacers Ross right now and the free agents that they have are Obi toppen Pascal sakam Doug mcder and James Johnson so that means they have 11 men on the roster okay let’s say they obviously bring back cakam and then May and then Obi to and now you’re at 13 which leaves two spots left now you have to Envision hm what if they take somebody at pick 36 in the draft well there is number 14 so you looking you’re looking at one r spot on the bottom of the bench so if you don’t bring back James Johnson if you don’t make a trade who was a guy that could make some sense and I think Justin holiday doeses make a lot of sense for that specific reason now I did not factor in Jaylen Smith he could opt out of his contract now if he opts out then obviously there’s still room for James there James Johnson to come back but in terms of Justin holiday we know that he’s kind of an Iron Man doesn’t miss a lot of time I think he had some good moments for Denver last year he’s getting a little bit older but he’s definitely a great teammate had good moments here in Indiana and I think he really you know kind of had to over you know kind of outplayed his position a little bit and and outplayed his role was definitely playing way too many minutes at certain positions where maybe he wasn’t the starter that you needed but uh maybe would have been a good you know n10th man on your roster but the Pacers at time had to have Justin holiday be there starting three because they were hurt with injuries or they just lacked a guy that could defend a little bit so Justin holiday definitely getting older in his career won’t see the floor much but regular season time getting a pinch guy gets hurt pretty reliable guy to be able to call on yeah he only averaged just under 15 minutes per game for Denver I feel that you know another year later in his career that could come down and I don’t think he’s someone who has to play every night but I think it’s just like if you’re looking for a you know that three D type addition I think that Justin holiday is someone that is familiar with Indiana if he’s still looking to win I mean I think this is a spot now that I think that that’s the thing that’s great is that some of these veterans now they could look at Indiana with a completely different lens on and say I might be that missing piece to what they’re looking for to be able to you know stop maybe a buston or or be able to help them get some defensive stops towards the end so I think Justin holiday is someone that you know maybe I’m a little bit biased because we’ve had him here but I think he’d be a good addition that wouldn’t cost much that doesn’t have to play much absolutely now I’m going to go to somebody that’s probably a little bit more uh well known just because of where they’re at currently right now they are actually starting in the NBA Finals as a speaking and this would only realistically happen to me if Obi toppen were to walk in free agency I don’t know what this player is going to command in the open market but I definitely know that taking the veteran minimum for Dallas was not the uh it was as a move to bet on himself after being with Chicago for a while but this is Derek Derrik Jones Jr 27 years old 6’6 Ines 210 lounds been in the league since 2016 averag 9.6 points per game 3.7 rebounds an assist shot 48.6% from the field 34% from three I don’t think he’s a starter I don’t view him as a starter level player but I do think if the Pacers wanted to get someone that could play be a little bit more linky run up and down play their fast style he could fit that style I Don’t Love drik Jones Jr with this Pacers team and their current iteration of it it’s fine I think it could work if that’s what they wanted to do on a you know smaller scale contract I don’t think he’s a here’s what I’ll say I I think that Obi toppen is a better fit for the Pacers but I think there’s a world out there where Derrik Jones Jr could get more on the open market because of his run with Dallas and kind of being their defensive Wing kind of guy so I don’t really know what his value is but I think it’s very similar to Obi top and in that same age group you know with with Miles and Pascal and things like that 27 years old so still kind of entering his prime bet on himself I don’t know what exactly like I said what his cost would be but he’s interesting name to keep an eye on if the Pacers wanted to maybe see if they could add some size at that three four spot yeah it would be interesting he was someone that I did very much debate um you know Obi is that that kind of missing link of like if he resigns you don’t really have many options if if he doesn’t then all of a sudden you do have a couple extra bucks to spend so I think that Derk Jones Jr good player a guy who’s really kind of uh at one point was like a a fringe hanging on league and I feel like now has really been able to kind of show the NBA that he belongs so I think that’s great I could definitely see if the Pacers were to bring him on it is an addition that makes them better but if push came to shove between Obi and Derrik Jones I think I would lean Obie just because I think you’re going to get more offensive upside they three-point shooting so things like that but I definitely don’t hate the addition by any means yeah and like like I preface with right you know this is only if OB leaves in free agency if they can’t afford to keep him I I think Obie’s fit is much better with what the Pacers did last year than what Derek Jones would bring to this team and that’s not a knock on Jones I’m not saying he wouldn’t fit either but I think Obi gives jail more size and the three-point shooting last year was significantly better than Derrick Jones Jr as well so that’s that’s why I would lean more topping than Jones Jr especially having a year under his belt playing with Tyrese in the system knowing exactly what he’s supposed to be doing where Derk Jones might not know exactly where to fit in at yeah I definitely agree with that statement but yeah I would if that’s that’s a good backup plan if Obie is not to resign I think that Derrick Jones Jr is definitely someone that has upped his stock over the last few years so I think Pacer fans could definitely get behind that um the next guy I have on my list I mean this is something that some people might think I’m crazy they really might but here’s the thing this guy used to be a Pacer killer all right and he still got it and his name’s Andre Drummond here’s the thing Drummond if if sticks Ops out if Jaylen Smith walks you have a need at one of the the spots for Center whether it’s your backup big or anything of the sort I think Andre Drummond is good enough to beat out Isaiah Jackson for that backup center job and the Pacers have had a need on the glass for as long as anyone can remember and Andre Drummond has been one of the most gifted rebounders in the league despite his minimized role over the last few years Drummond against the Pacers alone there’s two different games last year one game he had seven points and 16 rebounds and another one he had 11 points and 14 rebounds he had three games last year where he had between 23 to 26 rebounds and he’s only he only got to play 17 minutes a night for Chicago and if you’re saying what would the cost be well the last two years he’s played for $3.3 million that’s less than what Jaylen Smith is making right now at about $5 million so Andre Drummond as a backup to Miles Turner what are your thoughts on that no I think it makes some sense you know you want to get a little bit more depth there especially if Jaylen does leave you do Wonder does he fit stylistically what the Pacers want to do I don’t know if he’s really the Run and Gun type of guy that’s going to be doing all that I think I would probably rather see Isaiah Jackson develop than this guy but that’s a fair point yeah and that’s that’s a tough spot to be in because there’s a lot of people that were talking about Andre Drummond being like one of the best backup centers last year in the league and I think he’s embraced that he’s not a starter anymore but like you said he can still be a force and I think that if Turner were to get hurt at least you know that there’s a reliable veteran that you can call on to start a few games so that is kind of why I want to go with my next person here fi that’s uh in the same I was looking also as well as who could be their third string Center who could be in that Center depth chart if they wanted to go out there and get somebody on the cheap is Kevin Love Too old man I mold Kevin Love over I I don’t I don’t want to say that he would think that it’s like well I want I’m going after that ring or anything like that because Indiana is a Conference Finals team but for Kevin Love I I wonder if you could still get that consistent production with him like that I don’t know if he can consistently do it but that’s a that’s a name that I’ve definitely been intrigued with for the last couple years now do you think he still got it 8.8 points per game last year and 6.1 rebounds in a total of 16.8 minutes off the bench for the Miami Heat I I think that he still has basketball in him I think that his ability to shoot and pass would be a welcomed addition to this Pacer style of offense he’s not going to help you much defensively but I do think that if he were to be the third string Center accept that role play behind an Isaiah Jackson maybe help Mentor him a little bit maybe even help miles a little bit Mentor him a little bit with playing in the post a little bit more what kind of shots can he do because I mean Kevin Love was a sniper for a while there in the league right like he was a good three-point shooter really took his you know level up in terms of shooting I think he shot 41% in 2017 2018 so he’s a he’s a very good player I think that he’s obviously on the downward part of his career but I do like the idea of him kind of being that third string Center if you’re going to lose Jaylen Smith because the last thing you wanton is more and more young guys to come into this roster that aren’t getting a chance to prove themselves now I will say this if you do look at some free agency list out there one name that I thought about that I was really excited to talk about then I realized he signed an extension already Kelly oen Kelly oen signed that two-year extension with the Raptors and I’m thinking to myself Kelly oen and I know this sounds crazy but like he would be the perfect backup center for the Pacers if they could have gotten him so I wouldn’t rule that out in terms of maybe a trade if they wanted to go after him but Kelly o lenck with the way the Pacers play nowadays put him with Miles he can play the four he can play the five like no he’s not the greatest defensive player but like he could help with this team with what they want to do stylistically but going to go with Rena Rena o lenck and we’ll go with Kevin Love I had Kell L 10th on my trade list a year or two ago people gave me heat for it they were like Kelly L that man scraps he he really does he he finds himself in scuffles he he he he plays hard you got to respect it he’s the type of guy you don’t like to play against but you like to have on your team so yeah that would have been great but for Kevin Love look the Pacers are going to assuming that they move on from James Johnson because at this point James Johnson be better served as like an assistant coach like I I I really do think like having some sort of role like that like what do you got let’s talk about that for a second now i’ I’ve agree with that and I’ve talked with you about that last year like why don’t they just make him an assistant coach like they didn’t bring him back on the roster but when you are a coach and you’re in a coach’s role compared to being a teammate role there is a different Dynamic there and it might not feel you might not feel as comfortable to talk to your coach about it or you know how it is when the coaches are away the players will say things maybe that they wouldn’t say if the coaches were in the room and it’s kind of nice to have that big brother there that can kind of be the communicator for both now I’ll let you get back to your point no it definitely is at this point James Johnson is legitimately falling into the Udonis hm world yes he made nine appearances last year and in those nine appearances I mean it’s like there like two minutes here like there so I can’t even imagine him really even stepping on the court next year but for a guy like Kevin love that’s a guy that like people will still listen to but I feel like can also contribute more that’s an NBA champion right there that’s a guy that was a really an All-Star player in this league I think that if you can go out there and and if Jaylen Smith walks you could bring in Kevin Love I’m I’m really excited about it and I I’ve kind of unfortunately soured on Jaylen Smith I have and I’m kind of now like looking at things as if he does opt out the P have a little bit more flexibility to make another move um and I think a guy like Kevin Love doesn’t need to play the amount of minutes that Jaylen Smith would have to play and as consistent so a guy like Andre Drummond I think right now would be able to step in be a backup big that can really help p on the glass A guy like Kevin Love can be a veteran leader also a good you know rebounder who can shoot some threes so I like either addition there probably a little bit more than Jaylen Smith and I know that could sound crazy because jaylen’s way younger but I feel that Jaylen needs to play much more than those players and uh that might not be something the piters have that option for him yeah Jaylen Smith’s a weird a weird case right because he was so good in the regular season okay had an injury came back was never the same really struggled in the postseason Isaiah Jackson took his minutes and it’s almost to the point where like I like stick so much and I was like you know beating the drum hard for him this year like I was like I think he might still beat Isaiah Jackson like I was that was how I felt a long time you know even before the season started that I was going to be Jaylen Smith just because of his ability to shoot the three but Isaiah Jackson in the playoffs he really showed me something and I really liked his resiliency and his ability to be ready when called upon after not being in the rotation for so long with Jaylen being the primary backup five so I was really impressed with what I what IX did and so I’m to the point where I kind of want to like Let The reigns go and let him fully get those backup five minutes and want to find more of a a third string Center you know another name that was on this list of centers that was previously a former Pacer was Daniel TY but you know I think the Pacers did Ty right by letting him go and things like that but you know he he doesn’t want to feel that role there’s a lot of guys that probably still feel like they have something to give and they don’t want to be the third string center right so that’s why when you think about like a Kelly oen like he could make it more difficult for Isaiah to get minutes because he could really push for him same with an Andre drumond I don’t think Kevin Love is going to be pushing him out of the rotation yeah but you know would Kevin Love even want to come to a team like Indiana if he knows he’s going to be the third string Center probably not so that’s where it gets really difficult trying to find the right person but this is where maybe you could bring in somebody and I know this isn’t all guy on my list but I’m just going to throw it out there we’re talking centers like a James wisman someone like that that is like one of these early lottery picks that kind of became a bust and didn’t really ever develop the way people thought they would and now they’re just trying to latch on to a team could they you know re kind of uh reshape his value could they get his you up could they maybe find like a Marvin Bagley somebody like that you know what I mean that that that to me could make some sense trust me I I love nothing more than like a what I say like a Bargain Bin type of thing but like there is still Talent there like James wisman will will never live up to being the number two overall pick it won’t happen but if he doesn’t have to play that much and he’s with this group this coaching staff I feel like they will get more out of him than what he’s been able to show so I would totally be you know up to bring in like a James wisan or something of that sort because you know hey he’s not going to play that much but if he does get a role you know Tyrese is the guy to be able to get the most out of this coaching staff everything of the sort Indiana has developed so many players so I would feel confident in that going back to Drummond I feel like you could sell Drummond on you’re gonna be competing for that backup center job will’ll pay you a little bit more than what you made last year and you could you can win that job hopefully that’s up to you nothing’s going to be promised and I think that that could be something hey Pacers playoff team he hasn’t played in the playoffs the last few years you look at you know he’s been Chicago there’s all that stint with with Detroit for a long time he’s with the Lakers for like a cup of coffee but you know I think that this is a good opportunity for him to be able to say hey I can contribute on a winning team and you know be able to win that backup big job so I’d be a little bit intrigued by were you were you attempted at all since you already brought up I’ve already brought up a former Pacer you brought up former former Pacer in uh who who’d you bring up again uh Justin holiday that’s right any any interest in Goa baz honestly I I think I overlooked him this time but Goa actually had a halfway decent season he did this year he really did like he he showed that he’s a pretty good shop Walker he’s a rebounder like there Goa showed some stuff and like I think like in my mind I don’t think you could ever label Goa a bust I think the Pacers failed Goa so as like as a backup center like feel like he wasn’t on my radar but now you kind of got me intrigued a little bit I know it’s he was a name that I thought about putting on I don’t know if he would want to come back to Indiana just because of how things were yeah but anyway decid to throw it out there Goa give you some love all right I think we have two names left each so let’s keep it moving yes all right next I’m going this guy he’s still kind of has it he he’s gonna be 36 this year talk about Nicholas patum all right look he’s been he’s been an awesome addition for the Clippers that is a veteran that is is more than just a vet on the bench he could still play he could play the three and the four good well he did play for Philly last year he he did play for Philly yeah okay he was part of that James Harden trade okay all right all right so then okay so then I guess he started the year with the Clippers yes yes okay good because I was like I could have sworn I saw that man playing for the Clippers last year but Batum still has it and I think that in this spot right now I mean he played for for Philly he was playing about 26 minutes for the Clippers he was playing about 18 minutes um and I I just think that he’s someone that’s always been like a talented player that can do a little bit of everything but he could still defend and he could still shoot that three ball well Philly he shot 40% from three last year and I just think that when you’re looking for a veteran that can still play make this team better batum’s goingon to have a lot of suitors I I really do and I’d be intrigued if the Pacers were one of them yeah I had Nick Batum on my team as well fji I think that at 35 years old he does kind of understand like okay I’m probably not going to be playing a whole lot much more moving forward Indiana could give him an opportunity there to be more of a mentor type of type of teammate uh he did you the ball well last year like you mentioned I like his size I think the Pacers could use somebody like that definitely kind of similar to what we said about Justin holiday if you have an injury to one of your main 11 guys potentially could be there like I I think that he’s a better player than Doug McDermot is because of his ability to do things on both ends of the Court very good passer as well I think that’s a little bit of an underrated part of his game so yes he’s obviously a little bit older and not the sexiest name once again but a guy that can give you something a little bit FY when he won that’s the reason why I had him on my list like the fact that he shot 45.4% from three last year and 51.9 now I’m getting these stats from Hoops hype so if these are incorrect I apologize but this is Michael Scot’s you know beloved website type that has the list of free agents it said that he shot 45.3 4% from three and 51.9% from the field I copy and pasted this from their website so if that’s wrong please tell me it is indeed wrong so he shot 45% from the field he shot 39% there’s you know 399 from three websites yeah can’t trust internet people fake news couldn’t let that stat slip through you were giving me a look so I was walking it back back he’s been the last few years he shot 40% with Philly from three he shot uh you know so overall last year he shot 39% from three because a little couple games with h the Clippers the year before that he shot 40% from three year before that 40% from three like this man is a good three and D guy that I always felt was like Boris DL light you know in the NBA and I I think that that’s someone that any team that is like a championship Contender would love to have Batum as you know a guy on their team so I think that that was the one name that we were really both in agreement on all right f i I’m right there with you now what we have our last name Tera be here last name I I think everybody is going to be surprised by mine and not surprised at all by yours so I’ll save my surprise for last let’s finish up with your final person on your list who do you have to reveal to us V it’s no surprise Beast you’d be out of your mind if you think that I don’t have Kyle Anderson number one on my list I dove through the stat Superstar even more in love yes he’ll never be the star that that I misunderstood that one time but I looked at it did you know that Kyle Anderson had the fourth best defensive plus minus in the League last year it was behind only joic Wy and Isaiah hardenstein I couldn’t believe it I knew he was a good Defender but I thought oh my God this can’t be right I had to check numerous websites and it was right yes offensively he is a slouch you’re not getting star production from him you’re going to get a good Defender at 6 foot n he could play the three he could play the four all right I think that this man’s been a part of some good defenses in San Antonio Memphis and Minnesota he’s always been a gifted passer and uh this is someone that would fit right in to what Indiana wants to do because he can obviously move the ball around but he’s got that more of that size that you know Chad was talking about you know I think that n Smith being about 6’5 you’re giving up some size with Kyle Anderson you’re getting more size and I think that you’re getting little bit probably more of a well-rounded player don’t expect much on the offensive end but you know this Patriot team needs to improve defensively Kyle Anderson is someone that is kind of right in our face okay so let’s let me ask you this if you bring in KY Anderson does that mean you’re bringing back Obie toppen or you picking between the two it definitely gets harder at at that point I think that you’re probably only able to afford Kyler Anderson if Obie walks I don’t know exactly what what the rate for for Kyle Anderson might be but it’s going to take a chunk of that mid-level exception no doubt about it yeah that’s that’s the thing I mean Kyle Anderson to me is a very interesting player I think he’s intriguing in terms of like what he can bring like you said defensively he going to be an upgrade from what the Pacers have at certain positions there but he is so slow is he gonna be able to play SLO that is his name no doubt his nickname slow-mo is that what you were saying slowmo yes yeah I agree I know what it is I mean and does that seem like the Pacers type of player to you is slow-mo no it definitely doesn’t it definitely doesn’t but I just think that when you look at like okay who can really help the Pacers defensively there’s not many guys out there there really isn’t and I’ll tell you one team that can’t afford to bring kylo Anderson back that’s the Minnesota Timberwolves they absolutely cannot and they they’re gonna have to watch that man walk for free uh so I think that the Pacers um you know a lot depends on like you mentioned Obi toppin if Pacers bring back Obby toppen there is no Kyle Anderson money out there that makes sense that makes sense to me now I I wouldn’t be upset if they brought him in if OB ended up getting too much around like 15 160 million of Pacers like we’re not going to pay that we’re going to bring in someone for about half the cost maybe 10 million somewhere around there for KY Anderson I don’t know what he’s going to get on the on the market I don’t know what his value is how old is Kyle Anderson what’s his age 30 years old he’s 30 years old about 9.2 Million last year so I think it’s understandable to say you know could he be in the market for I don’t I don’t know I’m just throwing out there like a 10 million doll you know per year type of deal 10 to 12 something in that range I think that uh that’s probably where I would see his value at I don’t think there’s a lot of teams that have cap space that are also in the Kyle Anderson Market yeah I mean if if he got the full mid level that wouldn’t surprise me um good player good role player that’s you know what those guys kind of go for so I wouldn’t be upset with it I think it’d be interesting but um yeah I mean we’ll let the listeners tell us what they think about Kyle Anderson joining this roster if for some reason I’ll be top where to leave now this is a a name that I’m going to share here at the end is probably like the least exciting last name you’re ever going to hear on a free agency podcast list because I kind of went out of order just to make it more topical with what we were talking about you know instead of revealing this player here and there so for me the last player I want to bring up he is a rri a free agent he made his NBA debut in 2022 got traded last year Year from the Utah Jazz to the Detroit Pistons he’s a 6’7 209 lb wing it is Simone Von Teo fi Fon teio shot pretty well from the field last year 45% from the field and 38.7% from three 9.3 points per game 3.6 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists now he is a restricted free agent and the Detroit Pistons gave up some good second round picks for him and they have the c space to bring him back so it does seem pretty likely that he will return to Detroit but if Indiana wanted to get someone that I think could be physical play really well in their system and actually play pretty solid defense because I saw him play really good defense against the Pacers multiple times this season I think that this is a guy they should go after he’s actually probably the most intriguing name on my list here fod it’s pretty interesting because I knew the name but I never really watched him until that second half because all of a sudden you after got traded to Detroit and this guy was put up numbers so I I do think that he’s someone that is probably poised for a pretty good year I think Detroit is to bring him back he’s probably someone that is getting a solid role with them I’m looking at it right now he played 30 minutes a night for the Pistons you know there’s not really that opportunity on many other teams points game for imagine what was that 15.4 points per game for Detroit that’s really good really good and he was he was very efficient 48% from the field you know about 43% from three with them so I mean this is definitely definitely a player that I think people are going to learn a lot more next year when he’s got that full season under his belt you know probably with the Pistons because they have a ton of money to spend and you know not a lot of players to spend it on so I would be curious you know what he gets in restricted free agency what do you think the market for a guy like him could be that’s a good question I mean I think it’s probably around the full mid level I I would be kind of surprised if it was more than that you know what I mean like I’d be yeah like I I would I don’t even know if he would get the full mid level maybe more to like the eight to 10 range eight is the exact number that I had in my head and I think I think he hasn’t proved enough to get the mid level but I think 8 million for for him would be a really good deal yeah I mean Indiana could theoretically do a trade to get him if they wanted him they could do a sign in trade type situation I know we’re not going to talk about that now but just thr it out there since you know jayen Smith is a name that could opt in that could not make some sense for Indiana if they wanted to move off of him and they had the open roster spot would they be able to do that something similar to that I don’t know it’s just makes sense to me if they really wanted him and the and the Pistons wanted to take a little bit of a a stab at what Jaylen Smith could do as a center for them knowing that they kind of need to address their Center position uh behind Jaylen dur of course so I just I just kind of threw that out there but yeah I like Sim fonio and I was like really impressed with him with Utah and I just I just liked him as a player and then watching with Detroit like yes his numbers were much elev much more elevated there because they were a terrible team and he was playing a lot of minute so they are a little bit inflated they’re not really that true of numbers but I think that his shooting percentage is very fair to go by that’s what you can look at and say okay that feels pretty consistent and I think if you get someone like that on Indiana not saying it’ll be equivalent to like when boan broke out for Indiana but could he have like a a bench version of that that’d be great I think that the amount of open looks that the Pacers were able to get guys you need good Shooters and he is definitely a good shooter so that’s something um interesting you know I I think for if you’re Detroit and you’re making a trade for him and you really don’t have uh anyone else to spend that money on you better resign that man yeah so I think that’ll be that’ll be interesting but I think that was the only restricted free agent that we had on our list right right yeah and basers don’t usually go after rfas either I mean maybe if they were more lower tier they would do it but even then I could see any being like yeah we’ll trade you some seconds or whatever you know to get Simone fono and I mean it wouldn’t shock me if they traded 36 and jayen Smith and something else on draft day for him you know right so yeah I mean at that point it’s honestly not a bad deal because you know who you’re really drafting at at 36 and Jaylen could could walk as well so at that point it kind of takes care of it but I I I meant to bring it up earlier how ironic would it be if the Pacers were to bring buddy heeld back and had managed to acquire the 36th overall pick in the process like that that would just be such a great situation to bring him back for the minimum have pick 36 whatever you do with that is like a bonus at that point yeah and you didn’t get stuck having to pay him all that money now I will say the only con to that is you don’t have buddy hil’s contract to trade now if there was somebody out there that you wanted because now salary-wise you are a little bit handicapped with what you can do so that’s why trying to get somebody on the mid-level exception for around $10 million plus would make some sense to me just so you could throw them in on a trade you bring back top in you have nma contract that gets you close to 35ish million if you bring everybody back around that same amount of money which I would much rather do something along those lines than than gut my roster with with Turner and N Smith and something else to go out there and get a guy so if there’s a way you can build up enough salaries to to make sure you keep Turner locked in at the center position and not have to move his contract to get the deal done that to me is the smartest way to go about business but regardless I think the Pacers are going to have a problem with trying to get guys uh enough playing time on the court so that’s why it’s really hard to find the right free agents F and that’s true because like I’m looking at this saying like Okay what if the Pacers don’t bring back Obi who else could they throw their mid level at and I looked at all these guys and I’m like I don’t think the Pacers are going to be able to find guys that they’re gon to give 30 minutes A Night to so that was really the challenging part but also guys that’s that’s like the I guess the downside of having a really good team is like hey you’re not going to have this sexy free agent class but at the same point if you have a good team it’s just round out the edges add those smart pieces to it if the Pacers weren’t getting any production out of a James Johnson or a Doug mcdermit this is your opportunity to be able to swap some of those guys out to be able to get veterans that can play and contribute now so I think that that would go a long way but hopefully there’s some names on this list that you guys do like and agree with if you do please let us know if you don’t definitely let us know as well and please let us know about anybody that we might have missed because when it comes to free agency there’s plenty of different ways you know you got your unrestricted you got your there could be someone that could decline a player option and anything of the sort you know uh there’s many different ways to sign someone and I’ll say this if there’s somebody on the list that I mean if there’s somebody not on the list that you wanted on the list don’t just reply in the comment section and say oh you should have added this guy or ask us what you thought of that guy I want to hear from you guys what you thought why what you think of that player and why you think they would be a good fit for the Pacers so we can discuss it that to me is better than just getting our opinion on I want to hear your guys’ opinion on certain players but I won’t lie uh part of me the reason why I like Simone fonio so much is because I like saying his name who wouldn’t want to say Simone fono the whole time talking on a podcast yeah trust me it’s it’s a great name to say um so you know I like it I think that uh that that’s someone you’re going to hear a little bit more from and that’s someone that you know I thought it was just a guy on the Jazz you know he’s all right and then you see him you’re like this guy can actually play so w he’s who knows he’s shutting down Bruce Brown what’s happening oh look he just shut down Ben ma who what who is this guy right it’s kind of hard to think back all the way back to when was it I was it January December I can’t remember when we played the jazz on the road but I think it was after Bruce I think it was in December because it was right before Bruce Brown got traded uh to to Toronto so it was back in December or no excuse me January back in January before we got past gaka when they traded Bruce Brown I think it was like the next game after they traded him again before they played Sacramento so they had that backto back against Denver and then they went that Monday night and played Utah and Simone vono was just letting the Pacers know that uh he was there to defend but with that being said nothing else from me on this any honorable mentions F you that you want to throw out that we didn’t talk about yet yeah you know me I always got an honorable 14 list I think this point look it it was tough I mean a couple names uh Reggie bulock if you’re looking for just a you know more than I’ve had him on my list for years uh I still old name man yeah I still believe look he could still shoot the three well capable Defender Josh aogi um you know free agent yeah yeah so a little bit intrigued I didn’t know if uh you know he’d be coming back to Phoenix or not I believe it’s like a $2.9 million option so we’ll see and then that that was really where I drew the line I didn’t think it made sense for like a like a Caleb Martin or anything like that just you know so that that would have been my like outside of the honorable mentioned name but got yeah I mean we can’t we can’t end a free agency podcast if he’s still gonna be in the NBA and not say his name Gordon Hayward man yeah yeah I know I mean I think this is probably the first time that we we almost didn’t mention his name you know some people yeah we almost made it through uh some people were like what about Hayward this this I think if Hayward wants to sign for the minimum then then yeah you know look I think that there’s there there’s an opportunity there I think he probably did slip through the cracks a little bit but I think that you would I don’t know maybe this is just me spitballing here but wouldn’t you think Gordon would like to end his career you know at home in Indiana at this point this is a playoff team he just like suffered through Charlotte and you know didn’t even get to really play much in OKC I would think it would make a lot of sense but that to me it’s it’s a minimum offer yeah that’s that’s a thing I mean just I didn’t put him on the list mostly because of the comments that came out after his run in OKC I think that Indiana if they were to lose Obi toppen he could make some sense as a four and I definitely think he would get playing time as the backup four over jerus Walker just because we saw how Rick Carlile trusted other players even Doug mcder more than jarus Walker last year so I could see early on giving that opportunity to Gordon Hayward before he gets hurt and then once he gets hurt that’s when jerus Walker comes in but um and I’m just saying that and I’m not trying to be mean but Gordon Hayward always misses time throughout the season with injuries so it’s going to happen if he does come to Indiana so I’ll just say this at the end of the day I like Gordon Hayward a lot as a player I don’t think he’s nearly the same player that he once was clearly but I still think he has a good enough basketball in him to contribute in a smaller role I think that could be with Indiana I think this style would fit his play well but I don’t know uh I I didn’t really want to bring him up until the end just because there’s a lot more options out there that could make some sense and it’s not just a hey he’s a HomeTown guy let’s bring him back you know I could have just done all Hometown guys like bring on Eric Gordon let’s find a spot for him on the roster yeah I think this was the first time that like there wasn’t like a Thad young like squeezed in there I thought about it I thought about it too I really did and I was like I gota just let this go like look 2017 was fun but like it’s been a long time for all of those guys and I think at at this point you know the p had Cory Joseph for like five hours maybe even less you know it’s like we were brought back der point you know that young look it it was awesome it was fun but I think uh some of the guys that we mentioned today I think could contribute a little bit more on the court yeah I mean at one point I was looking to see if Darren cison was still on the list right if players a call back right I mean everybody needs a good Jehovah’s Witness on their roster so hey time Pacer Daren three times you know three is a charm right anyway we we got to get out of here guys it’s it’s been a little bit longer than we expected so fi tell everybody where they can find us at on social media absolutely so you can find us on Twitter at Pacers pod STP you can find Alex on Twitter Alex golden NBA I can be found Twitter _ FCI you can find us on Instagram at Pacers pood STP you can find us on Facebook at setting the pce you can find us on Tik Tok at setting the pce and Alex tell them where they can check us out on YouTube you can check us out on YouTube talking about Simone fonio at youtube.com /et in the paace a Pacers podcast you can find all of our video content subscribe leave a comment in the comment section and let us know what you think of the conversation that’s being had today if you’re listening on the audio platform please leave us a festar rating and review as we continue to climb up the the boards there for those rating and reviews want to thank everybody so much for doing that in advance but with that being said flaty if you’re hoping the Pacers make the right move in free agency that doesn’t hurt them or the roster then me with those three words let’s go Pacers

On today’s show, Alex and Facci go back and forth sharing their Top 5 free agents they think make sense for the Pacers to pursue this offseason. The guys explain the reason for their selections and go back and forth discussing the pros and cons to bringing said player on the crowded roster.

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