Source: Pacers agree to Exhibit 10 deal with Keifer Sykes
He's spent the last five years playing overseas and was already scheduled to be with the Pacers for summer league.
Keifer Sykes had a night to remember Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio. Playing in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a winner-take-all tournament with a grand prize of $1 million, Sykes sank the championship-winning shot.
It was Boeheim’s Army, mostly filled with players from Syracuse University, against Team 23. Playing with the Elam Ending, where the first team to 69 wins in this instance, Sykes used a crossover to get past the defender in the backcourt and then pulled up from the right arc.
Bang!
He then ran across the court and jumped atop the broadcast table, raising both arms to celebrate. Boeheim’s Army had won the championship for the first time, and his share was $80,000 — more than twice the salary for a G League player.
Sykes will soon join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 deal, league sources told Fieldhouse Files. It’s essentially a training camp deal that could lead to something more, or he could play with the Mad Ants in the G League.
Since drafting two players in the first round, the Pacers’ roster is completely full at the moment. Sykes could compete to be the team’s third-string point guard behind Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell.
Sykes was already scheduled to be with them for summer league. TBT finals were played two hours east of the Pacers' facility, at the University of Dayton Arena, but he was not in Indy Wednesday morning for camp practice. The team is making time in the gym optional on Thursday before one last practice on Friday, then leaving for Las Vegas.
Mike Weinar is coaching the summer Pacers. After practice, I asked him about Skyes’ big bucket.
“I’m not huge into social media stuff, but I had several people send it to me right when it happened,” Weinar said. “I was handling something else at that point. I got it sent to me and immediately saw it so obviously we’re excited for him. And honestly, we’re excited for what he might be able to bring to us. We’ll see. He’ll get in with this bunch and we’ll get him up to speed quick.”
Sykes, 27, is from Chicago and played at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay from 2011-2015. He went undrafted, spent time with the Cavaliers in summer league and then was in the G League with the Austin Spurs for one season.
He’s played overseas the last five years, most recently in Australia, so this shot — back in the midwest, for money and a championship — meant a lot to him. Even his two kids were there to watch his big night.
Sykes is listed as a 6-foot, 180-pound guard. He’ll wear No. 28, the same number he wore for TBT.
Boeheim’s Army also included former Pacer C.J. Fair.
Watch highlights from Sykes’ performance below: