Larry Bird made a great decision when he signed C.J. Miles to a four-year $17.9 million dollar deal in 2014.
C.J. Miles has dealt with a lot of injuries during his tenure with the Indiana Pacers, but I think he’s exceeded expectations. He’s only making an average of $4.4 million per year. He has a chance to double that salary if he opts-out of his contract this summer and hits free agency.
Through 172 games with the blue and gold, Miles is averaging a career-high 12.2 points per game. He’s also shooting 36.5% overall from deep, and 40.5% this season. Three-point shooting is C.J.’s specialty. He’s had moments where he catches fire and seemingly can’t miss.
For instance, remember when he torched the Wizards during the 2015-2016 season for 32 points and 8 three-pointers.
C.J. is 10th in Pacers’ franchise history in three-pointers made, knocking down 373 of them through 172 games. This is quite impressive.
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He needs 3 more three-pointers to move up to 9th all-time, passing Austin Croshere. He has a long way to go to catch Pacers legend Reggie Miller’s 2,560, though.
Another impressive thing about C.J.’s Pacers career: he and Rodney Stuckey are the third longest tenured players on the current roster. They were both signed as free agents by Larry Bird in 2014. Lavoy Allen is the second longest tenured player, and Paul George is number one. The Pacers have gone through a lot of changes over the years, so it’s nice to see C.J. has been able to stick around.
Back to his contract. It’s a bargain for the Pacers. It’s very possible that if he opts-out, he could make up to $10 million annually. With the new CBA, players will be getting paid much more money. That’s why I feel that Miles will indeed opt-out of his deal with the Pacers. Look at what some of Indiana’s free agents made this offseason.
Next: S.S.D.D. for the Indiana Pacers
He can still re-sign with them, but the Pacers will have other priorities to attend to firstly, like getting Jeff Teague to re-sign. Appreciate every moment you see C.J. in the blue and gold.