Pacers' Jalen Smith declines $5.4 million player option
24-year-old center Jalen Smith will become an unrestricted free agent after declining his third-year player option with the Indiana Pacers, per league source.
Indiana Pacers forward/center Jalen Smith has elected to decline his third-year player option worth $5.4 million, a league source told Fieldhouse Files.
Smith, 24, had until Saturday afternoon to make his decision.
And so now he becomes an unrestricted free agent, just like in 2022 when his relationship with head coach Rick Carlisle and role with the Pacers convinced him to take less money to continue his career in Indianapolis after just 22 games together.