NBA free agency begins in about one week, and the Indiana Pacers will have a ton of tough decisions to make this year. Beyond having a few key contributors who are hitting the free agent market this summer, Indiana will need to determine what to do about the futures of as many as six players from their roster last season who played under 900 minutes.
Some players in that group will be easy for the blue and gold to move on from. Others will almost assuredly be back with the team. But the Pacers, coming off of a disappointing 34-38 season, are about to enter a pivotal free agent period — it’s important that they retain the right players, even the ones who don’t receive as much playing time.
“We didn’t win as many games as we wanted,” Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said after the season. “We wanted to be in the playoffs.”
To get back to the postseason, as Pritchard alluded to, the Pacers will need to stabilize their roster this offseason. That will require stretching out every dollar Indiana can spend in free agency and getting the most out of their returning players. Pacers’ brass will need to think long and hard about what to do with each of the team’s free agents (and potential free agents). It’s imperative they do so since the team is at a crossroads.
Reviewing the important information about all six of the lower-minute players the Pacers will have to think about can make the picture of Indiana’s offseason more clear. Each one is in a unique situation and has various factors at play influencing their future.
JaKarr Sampson
JaKarr Sampson has signed a one-year contract for his minimum salary with the Pacers during the last two free agency periods. The team values the tenacity and energy he brings to a deep bench role, and Sampson enjoys having a fully guaranteed contract — he bounced around the league for several seasons before landing in Indiana for consecutive years.
After nearly falling out of the NBA ranks, Sampson has proved in Indiana that he can be a quality depth piece for any team. The same question remains as last season, though. Is Sampson willing to accept a small role and a minimum contract again? Or is he looking for a larger role and/or a bigger contract?
The Pacers will likely have budgetary constraints this summer, so if Sampson wants to sign for more than his minimum, it is unlikely the team and player will come to an agreement. That said, if Sampson is willing to accept a similar role and contract for a third straight season, then there is a chance the two parties could find a middle ground for a deal.
“The Pacers, I feel like, will always be my home no matter what,” Sampson said after the 2020-21 season. That sentiment could help an agreement form. “I love this organization, I love the front office, I love the people here. It’s a family type of atmosphere.”
In terms of free agency, though? “I haven’t really gave it much thought, honestly,” Sampson said at the time. “To be honest, I’m used to this situation. It’s not even a big deal to me.”
It's fair to guess that Sampson could search for a bigger role or larger payday after establishing himself in Indiana. But his limited skillet makes it hard to imagine that a team would offer him a lengthy, or expensive, contract. There is a chance Sampson returns to the Pacers, he has fit in well with the organization. But it will depend on the Pacers’, and Sampson’s, desires this August.
Kelan Martin
Martin, like Sampson, found his NBA footing in Indiana. After playing in Europe post-college, Martin signed a two-way contract with Minnesota two seasons ago. He impressed with the Wolves, and the Pacers signed him to a two-year contract last summer as a result.
There were caveats on that deal, though. The first season was only half guaranteed, and the 2021-22 season is completely non-guaranteed. If Martin is waived by August 7, 2021, then the Pacers will owe him no money this coming season. If Pritchard and co. decide to keep him around on his current deal, then he will be on a fully-guaranteed minimum contract for Indiana next year.
Martin didn't provide the blue and gold much in terms of production for the first four months of the season. But down the stretch, he had some huge games. He buried three triples in an overtime win over the Spurs in early April. He dropped 25 points in a close win over Cleveland in early May. When the stakes were raised at the end of the season, Martin’s play improved.
It's a near certainty that Martin would be out of the rotation if he remained with the Pacers next season. So is he worth a fully guaranteed minimum contract? That's a tough call. His run of play at the end of last season was impressive, but it was a small sample size of play. It’s tough to determine how much value to put into the Pacers’ final 16 games.
If Sampson ends up signing with another team, then the depth Martin can provide becomes slightly more important for the blue and gold. Because of that, the Butler product's situation could depend on what other decisions the Pacers make this summer. That said, Martin’s guarantee date coming five days after free agency actually begins is helpful for the Pacers — they can assess the market and make other decisions before they have to officially determine if they want Martin back next season. They may make the choice prior to free agency starting, however, primarily as a favor to Martin. He and his agency could explore their options in full if that takes place.
Still, this could all come down to an assessment of Martin’s final 16 games. There are numerous guys throughout the NBA who can give the Pacers similar production to what they got from Martin for the first 80% of the season. But those final 16 games change the calculus, especially since the 25-year old is on a minimum contract. If Martin does get waived early next month, filling his roster spot with a similar player will be a unique challenge.
There is organizational familiarity with Martin, which helps him when it comes to signing depth pieces, and his strong end-of-season stretch could earn him a spot on the 2021-22 Pacers.
“It’s a blessing to be in the position I’m in,” Martin said during the season. “Everything works out for a reason. I kept faith in myself, just praying for times like this. This was a once in a lifetime situation, this doesn’t happen every day. I’m just blessed to be here.”
An added wrinkle to all this is that Martin could rejoin Indiana if he is waived but isn’t claimed on waivers. Technically, the Pacers could cut Martin prior to free agency, allow him to explore his options, and then bring him back if he is willing to accept a similar contract to the one he had. The Pacers have about two weeks to officially do anything with regards to Kelan Martin, but they may make a decision prior to free agency. This one could go either way.
Amida Brimah
Amida Brimah joined the Pacers on a two-way contract late in the 2020-21 season when the team needed center depth. He only played for 29 minutes throughout the year, and most of that was during garbage time, but he soaked up a few rotation minutes when the team needed healthy bodies.
Brimah is the fourth center on Indiana's depth chart and has numerous holes in his game. That said, he is a talented defender, and the Pacers organization has brought in Brimah for numerous training camps while also unleashing him with their G League affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Pockets of the organization are fans of his skills.
“The first thing about Amida is the energy, the positive presence he brings,” Mad Ants coach Tom Hankins detailed. “His shot blocking presence, especially at the G League level, is top shelf.”
Brimah signed a two-way contract that is two years in length, so he is technically not a free agent at this time. But players on two-way contracts can be released at any moment with little penalty, and Brimah has $0 guaranteed on his deal next season. That makes his future unclear at this point in time — the Pacers could decide to swap out Brimah for a different player on a two-way deal at will. There is a chance he doesn't hit the free agent market at all and the blue and gold keep him next season, but there is also a chance that he is waived during free agency, especially since $0 of his contract is guaranteed.
Since the Pacers have two late 2nd round picks in Thursday’s draft, they may want to give one of those selections a two-way deal. That would lead to some interesting discussions about the futures of Brimah and Cassius Stanley (more on him later). Given that the team drafted Stanley last season, they are likely higher on him and would prefer him to Brimah going forward.
That idea could lead to Brimah being released, though that is entirely conjecture. He is a perfectly fine fourth center and provides good value to the Mad Ants in the G League.
“This season just ended, so I don’t know much right now,” Brimah said of his future in May. “I know we’re going to figure that out later.”
Brimah is 27, so he is near his prime. What his future with the Pacers holds is unclear, but there are numerous paths the team could take with the University of Connecticut product.
Edmond Sumner
Edmond Sumner is the best player on this list. He established himself as a rotation player for the Pacers this past season and was a semi-frequent starter for the team. He didn't reach the 900-minute threshold since he was out of the rotation early in the season and dealt with a few injuries, but he's good enough to reach that playing time mark in future campaigns.
Sumner is talented and has grown significantly since the Pacers drafted him in 2017. This summer, Sumner has a team option worth $2.32 million that the Pacers need to make a decision on. The deadline for that decision comes at the end of this month. If the Pacers pick up the team option, Sumner will be on the team at that $2.32 million value. If the team option is declined, then the blue and gold would free up that much money in cap flexibility and would open up a roster spot.
But declining the option would be ill-advised — the Xavier product is certainly worth that much money. He impacts the game on both ends and added an accurate three-point shot this past season, which means he can fit with any lineup. He will be a valuable player going forward.
On the surface, it is obvious that the Pacers will have Sumner for at least one more season, barring a trade, thanks to that team option. He has a shot to be in the team's rotation next season, and having him on a cheap contract makes building the rest of the team easier.
Below the surface, though, things are a little more complicated. That’s because Indiana could try to negotiate a longer deal with Sumner prior to his team option deadline. If the two parties can agree on a longer deal, then the Pacers could decline Sumner's option and ink him to a longer contract in free agency. That’s exactly what the two parties did in the summer of 2019. Such a strategy could be a win-win for both sides long term, although in the short term it would cut into the blue and gold's distance from the luxury tax.
“I just talked to [the front office] and they said they want me here,” Sumner said in May. “I’ll let my agent deal with that later on. I want to be a Pacer. I love the Pacers, they took a chance on me. I’m a loyal guy.”
That loyalty gives the Pacers some options this summer. But this decision seems pretty easy, and there is a high chance the Sumner is back on the Pacers next season.
Cassius Stanley
Cassius Stanley is fresh off of his rookie season with Indiana. He signed a two-way contract after being selected with the 54th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
While Stanley didn't impress many in the NBA this past season, he had some solid moments playing for the Mad Ants in the G League bubble and turned heads at the Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend. That event gave the Duke product a chance to show off his most promising trait: his athleticism.
Stanley’s otherworldly leaping ability and speed allows him to stay in front of matchups on defense and be more threatening when cutting on offense. He still has a lot to learn in the NBA, but his physical profile is impressive.
Stanley didn't show enough to earn himself a full NBA contract during his rookie season, but his potential makes him a worthy candidate for another two-way deal.
That is, if he is willing to take it. It would allow him to have time to develop again with an NBA team in training camp while providing him with a chance to get game time in the G League. But he may be looking for more money or a bigger role.
“[Cassius] grew a lot after the [G League] bubble,” Mad Ants head coach Tom Hankins explained. “I saw more improvement from him after the bubble. After he had time to sit back and process it.”
Stanley doesn't have a ton of power in free agency — he isn't talented enough to leverage another offer rich enough to strong arm the Pacers. If he is able to find an NBA contract with another team, then he likely won't go back to Indiana. But if Indiana wants Stanley back in some capacity, they can easily make that happen — the Pacers can give Stanley a qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent. That would give them match rights in free agency, which means they can keep Stanley in the event he signs with another team, if they are so inclined.
Armed with restricted free agency as an option, the Pacers have the power here. If they want Stanley back, they can make it happen. But it is more likely that the two sides negotiate and try to find a happy medium, as is the case with most two-way free agents.
Oshae Brissett
Brissett didn't sign with the Pacers until April of 2021, but he was excellent for the blue and gold down the stretch of the season. He became a starter in just a few games and never looked back, averaging 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while providing solid defense.
Thanks to his strong play, Brissett was rewarded with a three-year minimum deal with Indiana. The catch is that both the second and third year of that contract are fully non-guaranteed, meaning the Pacers can waive Brissett any time prior to the leaguewide cutdown date next season and be freed from owing Brissett any money remaining on the contract.
But that isn't going to happen.
Brissett is worth much more than the minimum. There isn’t much consider for the Pacers — Brissett has a good chance to be in the team's rotation next year, and Indiana will keep him around for his minimum salary. There is no other side to consider, there is no debate to have.
“I don’t ever want to have that feeling of getting cut ever again.” Brissett said. “So that stays in my mind almost every day, every time I step on the court. I’m going to work hard, I’m going to get better, and continue to just prove a lot of people wrong and make a name for myself. That really starts this summer.”
The Pacers will more than likely only end up retaining some of the players listed here, not all of them. Between Sumner and Brissett, two of them could be in the rotation next season, but the other four are still interesting and useful pieces and determining what their future holds is important. Pritchard, and the rest of Indiana’s front office, are going to have to be on their A-game this offseason. The future of the team might depend on it.
