Pacers notebook: Kelly Oubre Jr. addition, Summer League roster set, and Jay Huff joins Team USA
The Pacers added wing depth, finalized their Las Vegas Summer League roster, and have several players — past and present — involved with national teams this week. Plus, other notes.
Good evening and welcome back to Fieldhouse Files. We’re just two days into NBA free agency, and it’s been slower than normal — while still featuring several splash moves.
Nothing was more surprising than the Celtics moving Jaylen Brown to the 76ers on the first full day of free agency. He had been made available for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks accepted the Heat’s trade package instead.
That left the Celtics in somewhat of an uncomfortable position. But it happens. Players are made available in trades, especially for a significant player, and more often than not, a deal does not come together.
Why were the Celtics so eager to move on from him? It came across as desperate and with a sense of urgency. But … on July 1?
There’s clearly something behind the scenes we don’t know. Yet.
Because they agreed to move him for Paul George’s bloated salary —who is owed about $114 million over the next two seasons — two first-round picks and two second-round picks. The 76ers would have had to attach at least one first-round pick to move on from George — and instead, they got Brown without having to give up Tyrese Maxey or VJ Edgecombe.
There’s something we’re missing.
Nonetheless, the Pacers made their move and added size and scoring on the wing with Kelly Oubre Jr. I called around on Wednesday to learn more about him, and I came away impressed.
“Great, great guy,” one league source said.
Oubre was drafted 15th overall in 2015, four spots behind Myles Turner. He’s made some mistakes, had some things not go his way, had to take a below-market deal previously, and has kept working. He’s matured, settled in, and will provide a boost to the Pacers’ bench. Consider that he was a regular starter for the 76ers last season.
I expect that to be it for the Pacers in free agency. They have a decision to make in the next few weeks before Quenton Jackson’s contract guarantee, and they will need to decide which three players they want on two-way contracts.
But then it’s about having patience — internally and externally. With Tyrese Haliburton in his return to the court. With Ivica Zubac and how he fits in with this team. And with this group as a whole.
The good news is they should all be healthy, rested and refreshed after their season ended in early April. Their brief offseason last year is the opposite now — extended. And I sense a real push and motivation to move past last season. To win and compete again.
The Pacers are leaning into continuity and their belief in this group, with just a few tweaks. Teams in the East, however, are leveling up — with Antetokounmpo finally getting the trade he wanted and Kawhi Leonard returning to Toronto — and it’s unclear what Detroit and Boston will look like.
Plus, LeBron James is an unrestricted free agent, so everyone is watching closely.
Patience is necessary, sure. But the Pacers must be all in. On right now and for at least the next two years. Nothing can be taken for granted in the NBA, and the only constant lately is a new champion — now in eight consecutive years.
With that, there’s plenty to catch you up on in my latest notebook.
