T.J. McConnell agrees on extension to keep him in Indiana through 2028-29 season
T.J. McConnell agrees on extension to keep him in Indiana through 2028-29 season
From undrafted to not brought back in Philly, T.J. McConnell is signing his third contract with the Pacers. And at 32, it may be his last before he gets into coaching.
Going into Labor Day Weekend, T.J. McConnell will have even more to celebrate.
In one of their final offseason moves, the Indiana Pacers reached agreement with McConnell on a contract extension, his agency, Priority Sports, confirmed.
His coaching career will have to wait.
McConnell, 32, was entering a contract season after posting back-to-back career years. As Adrian Wojnarowki first reported, it’s a four-year extension worth $45 million and it runs through the 2028-29 season. So it matches the length of Tyrese Haliburton's new deal.
“Go get yourself a T.J. McConnell if you wanna compete/win,” lead assistant Lloyd Pierce wrote on Instagram.
McConnell established himself as one of the best backup point guards in the NBA and last season, he was a finalist for the annual Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award.
We know head coach Rick Carlisle, who received an extension himself before last season, highly values his point guards. It’s now a position he won’t have to worry about for many years.
Haliburton and McConnell are under contract for the next five seasons and Andrew Nembhard, who enters his third season, has four more seasons thanks to his new deal.
Before this extension, McConnell was set to earn $9.3 million in the final year of his first contract extension with the Pacers from back in Aug. 2021. This final season became fully guaranteed one day after the draft.
The Pacers want for McConnell to finish his playing career in Indy and now it is tracking that way. The final year of the deal would be his 14th in the NBA.
Last season, he upped his game even more and averaged a career-high 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game playing 18 minutes off the bench.
That was after he began the season out of the rotation. It didn’t last long.
“Phenomenal year for T.J.,” general manager Chad Buchanan said during his exit interview three months ago.