INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers don’t traditionally make a lot of noise in free agency, and generally make more of their roster planning through the draft and trades, as tends to be the case with smaller market teams.
However, the Pacers enter this free agency with approximately $32 million in cap room. That won’t put them in contention for the biggest names on the market — James Harden, Khris Middleton, Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving among them — but they’ll at least have the money to compete for pretty much every name on the market below the top tier.
Positionally, their goals are obvious. They’re set at point guard and likely also at shooting guard with No. 26 overall pick Ben Sheppard added to a group that includes Bennedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield and Chris Duarte, as well as Andrew Nembhard, who last season proved he can play 1 .and the 2. They are also crowded under center with Myles Turner and three backups still under contract.
But even after drafting Jarace Walker No. 8 overall, they could still use some depth at the front spots, especially at the 4. The Pacers are somewhat limited in terms of roster space. They have 12 players under contract and three free agents in guard George Hill and forwards Oshae Brissett and James Johnson.
With that in mind, here are seven free agent targets the Pacers should look at as the NBA calendar enters its new year at the end of this week, while also continuing to pursue trade opportunities.
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Harrison Barnes, PF, Sacramento Kings
2022-23 Salary: $18.35 million
2022-23 statistics: 15.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 47% FG (82 games)
Outlook: The 6-8, 225-pound Barnes fits the archetype of the modern 3-and-D wing, having spent 11 seasons playing that role. He can defend multiple perimeter positions and can score at multiple levels, averaging 14.2 points per game. game in his career and shoot 37.8% from beyond the arc for his career. He just turned 31 in May and proved this past season that he still has plenty left in the tank, playing in all 82 games to help the Kings return to the playoffs.
The Pacers have a game with Barnes, who played with Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield in Sacramento. Haliburton in particular developed a close relationship with him. The Pacers have as good a chance as any to pry Barnes away from the Kings, and they have the money to give him a raise. That said, Sacramento still has the edge if they make a good enough offer, and the Kings are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2006 with a talented young core in De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray all ready to to take another step.
Jerami Grant, PF, Portland Trail Blazers
Salary 2022-23: 20.955 million dollars
2022-23 statistics: 20.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 40.1% 3FG (63 games)
Outlook: The 6-8, 210-pound Grant is just about everything the Pacers are looking for in a power forward and could give Walker the opportunity to grow coming off the bench. Grant is a strong defender with the athleticism, speed and length to handle multiple positions with a wingspan that measures close to 7-3. Although the Trail Blazers struggled, the 29-year-old Grant is coming off one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He shot a career-best 40.1% on his 3-pointers and made 144 of them. He has plenty of athleticism to keep up with the Pacers’ rushing attack and gets done enough on the defensive end to produce much-needed stops.
As is the case with Barnes, Grant will be difficult to pry away from his current team. Grant turned down a four-year, $112.7 million extension from the Blazers, the maximum allowed, but that was only because he believed he could make more than $28 million a year with a new deal. He’s eligible for a max extension that would pay him up to $40 million, and while it’s unlikely anyone would pay that for a player who’s never made an All-Star team, there’s a good chance that he can command upwards of $30 million per year.
The Blazers still have the cap space to make it work and seem interested in doing so. They’re at a bit of a crossroads, though, after star guard Damian Lillard indicated he wanted the team to make a push to become a title contender now, but rather than trade the No. 3 pick in the draft for an established star as they were rumoured. to try, they ended up drafting Scoot Henderson with the pick. Grant would be a critical piece if the Blazers try to make a push with Lillard and Henderson together in the backcourt, but if Lillard demands a trade and the Blazers decide to blow it up and start over with Henderson as the center, a $30M. plus deal for a 29 year old might not make a lot of sense.
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Kyle Kuzma, PF, Washington Wizards
2022-23 salary: 13 million dollars
2022-23 statistics: 21.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 44.8% FG (64 games)
Outlook: The 6-9, 221-pound Kuzma is coming off a career-high in scoring in his sixth season in the league, has proven he can rebound, especially on the defensive end, and can also average a career-high 3.7 assists. He’s a high-volume outside shooter who hits at a reasonable clip — he made 160 this season, 33.3% of his attempts — and he’s improved as a defender. A wide open offense with Haliburton at the helm would certainly appeal to him.
Kuzma is less likely than Barnes and Grant to stick around. Although he’s shown a willingness to stay in Washington in his public comments since opting out of the final year of his deal, the Wizards clearly seem committed to starting over after trading away Brad Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, so that’s unlikely , that they will pay the money Kuzma – who turns 28 at the end of July – is apparently looking for.
The Pacers also might not be able to pay it if he’s looking for $30 million, which would come close to the edge of their practical cap space. Kuzma, who played with the Lakers and was part of the 2020 title team before going to DC, is rumored to want to play in a big market or for a title contender, and that could remove the Pacers from contention. However, the Pacers could counter with a strong financial offer and a style of play that suits him.
Cameron Johnson, PF, Brooklyn Nets
Salary 2022-23: 5.9 million dollars
2022-23 statistics: 15.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 40.4% 3FG (42 games)
Outlook: Johnson is a restricted free agent, which means, as was the case with DeAndre Ayton last year, the Nets have the ability to match any offer within 24 hours and keep Johnson. The Nets have made it clear they intend to match any deal, but they are well into luxury tax territory, and it’s not out of the question that a team could make an offer too rich for their blood.
It’s a worthwhile risk for the Pacers to at least make an offer. Johnson can play small or power forward, so unlike the case with Ayton and Myles Turner last year, the tryout itself won’t have a direct negative effect on another player. And as a 6-8, 210-pound wing who can defend, rebound, handle and pass and reliably shoot 3-pointers, he fits well on just about any roster and fits the Pacers’ needs especially well. His 2022-23 season was shortened by injury, and he was traded from the Suns to the Nets in February in the deal that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
Rui Hachimura, PF, Los Angeles Lakers
2022-23 Salary: 6.3 million dollars
2022-23 statistics: 11.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 48.6% FG (63 games)
Outlook: Like Johnson, Hachimura is a restricted free agent, and the Lakers have every reason to try to bring him back. His addition in February was a big part of the Lakers’ late-season turnaround that ended up landing them in the Western Conference Finals before being defeated by the eventual champion Nuggets.
In 16 playoff games, Hachimura averaged 12.2 points per game. game, and he hit 19 of 39 3-pointers (48.7%). He was one of the Lakers’ most reliable defenders, and he gave them the best answer they had against Nikola Jokic, even if he only slowed him down so much. Hachimura scored in double figures in all four games of that series and was 16-of-21 from the floor for a combined 38 points in the first two games. Those were particularly spectacular performances, but he averaged 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. 36 minutes in his career.
For all of these reasons, the Lakers would love to have him back, but the Pacers are one of the few teams with that cap space, and the team needs to make an offer LA would think twice about matching.
Grant Williams, PF, Boston Celtics
Salary 2022-23: 4.3 million dollars
2022-23 statistics: 8.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 39.5% 3FG (79 games)
Outlook: The Celtics are reportedly less likely to match any offer for Williams than the Nets are for Johnson, so Williams could be much easier to get as a power forward option if the Pacers don’t win over any of the more expensive free agents.
Williams has been a reliable power forward off the bench in the Celtics’ recent playoff run, including last season’s run to the NBA Finals. He had his struggles against elite offensive players — Jimmy Butler very much had his number in the Eastern Conference Finals — but at 6-6, 235 pounds, he’s a better-than-average defender for his size. He rebounds well for his position and is also a solid shooter and passer. He may cost close to $10 million per year to sign, but he could serve as a useful, relatively inexpensive bridge player to help Jarace Walker ease into a starting role.
Georges Niang, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
Salary 2022-23: 3.465 million dollars
2022-23 statistics: 8.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 40.1% 3FG (78 games)
Outlook: If the Pacers can’t land any of the aforementioned players, Niang would appear to be an easy, cheap veteran pickup to provide power forward bench depth. A second-round pick of the Pacers in 2016, Niang played 23 games as a rookie for Indiana before being waived in the offseason. He was eventually picked up by Utah and turned into a reliable shot maker off the bench.
The 6-7, 230-pound former Iowa State star has ties to Haliburton, also a former Cyclone, and can bring both muscle and outside shooting to the position. He shot better than 40% from 3-point range in each of the past five seasons. His 149 3-pointers last season were second-most among any bench player. He has hit at least 124 in each of the past four seasons.