Sources: Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Smith is declining his $5.4 million player option and will enter unrestricted free agency,
@hoopshype has learned. Smith shot a career-high 59.2 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3-point range for the Pacers last season.
by cyclon3warning
17 Comments
Hope he gets a bag, but I’d rather keep Obi + Jarace
Love the guy, he just doesn’t quite fit anymore.
Can’t say I’m surprised by that and assume he’ll be moving on at this point. Wish him the best.
I don’t think anyone is shocked, but I’m definitely sad to see him go. That being said he deserves more money and playtime than we can provide so I’m happy for him
NOOOOOOOOOOO
Had to figure this was going to happen. Sad to see him go but IJax outplayed him in the playoffs and the writing was on the wall then.
what does this free up for us in terms of cap space? i’m not sure what implication this move + Toppin’s QO mean for us in free agency. I assume we basically have the MLE and that’s it but i had heard from Tony East that if Smith declines his option and we renounce Kendell Brown we could have nearly $20mil in space. I’m also half sure that QO/RFA doesn’t impact cap space the same way as UFA right? NBA cap shit is convoluted lol
i just wanna know what we have to spend
also curious if there’s still a path to retain Stix, i feel like we might be able to just pay him more after declining this option to keep him here but like 8-10 mil a year
I gotta give him his small credit for this teams rebuild. He obviously wasn’t able to crack the lineup by the playoffs, but he probably could’ve made a little more money by leaving last off-season. However, he bought in and came back. He seemed to always have a good attitude and always had good interactions with the fans.
It’s easy to look past guys like Smith in a rebuild, but you do need people who buy in and have a good attitude. Smith was one of those people early on and I appreciate that. I hope he finds success at his next stop.
I’m gonna miss post game interview bombs from Stix ☹️
NBA front office’s need to know we were only joking about the horrible things Stix did in his past. Great kid, solid player, not a menace to society
Hell probably be able to secure a 4/$32m somewhere, maybe more
If I’ve got the math right they’ll be 16.5M under the tax if they sign Furphy to a rookie min contract, sign vet X to a vet min contract, and fully guarantee Kendall Brown’s contract. 13 roster spots filled. Hopefully Toppin doesn’t get offers above 16.5M because I don’t think they’ll pay the tax this year.
He gone. Lost all confidence in him in the playoffs.
All the best. He was a solid role player but obviously fell out of the rotation for a reason.
Will miss this cutie patootie
Hope he does well wherever he ends up as long as it’s not the Knicks/Pistons/Bucks
Go get that bag, king.
I like Stix, but he’s better off elsewhere. Hope he gets a good opportunity with a new team. Thanks for your service, Stix!