The recent Paul George bombshell has understandably received non-stop coverage over the last two days. However, he may not be the only one leaving the Pacers. Lavoy Allen may have hinted at his future in Indiana.
Pacers reserve Lavoy Allen doesn’t receive as much media attention as his teammate Paul George, and that’s how it should be. If Allen was on the cover of NBA 2K18, I’d be seriously confused.
Consequently, it makes sense that in the midst of all this Paul George mania, we almost missed a very intriguing change to Allen’s Twitter bio:
It used to say “Official twitter of Indiana Pacers’ Lavoy Allen.”
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This is all complete speculation. I have no sources or anything like that, but try to think of a reason he would change his bio that’s not “the Pacers told him they were declining his team option.” It’s not easy, right?
Allen wasn’t a crucial contributor this past season. He averaged 14 minutes a game and put up 2.9 points and 3.6 rebounds a game. His per 36 numbers weren’t bad for a backup big man, but it’s hard to trust those when he played so few minutes. Who knows how much his production would actually increase if he had a bigger role.
Especially now that George will likely be gone, it makes sense to decline Allen’s option and dive head first into a youth movement. That being said, Allen was on a very cheap deal, and every team needs bodies at some point.
The stakes surrounding Allen’s option are about as low as can be. He’s probably not affecting wins that much either way. How much his potential absence would be felt will depend a lot on the eventual package that comes to Indy in a Paul George trade. If the Pacers get a young big prospect back in a deal or if they end up drafting one with the 18th pick, this won’t matter at all. If not…this might matter a tiny bit. Things aren’t really life and death at the end of the bench.
Next: Lance Stephenson: The point guard of the future
We’ll know soon enough whether Allen will officially be on the team or not next year. Until then, you’ll probably hear a little bit more about Paul George.