The Pacers have a decision to make on Damien Wilkins, resident old-guy of the 2017-18 squad. On January 7, his contract becomes fully guaranteed for the year. Will they cut him to open up a roster spot, or does Wilkins stay on the team for the long haul?
"Pritchard, you got to let me knowShould I stay or should I go?If you say that you are mineI’ll be here ’til the end of time (or the end of the 2017-18 season)So you got to let me knowShould I stay or should I go?"
Not a lot of players in the NBA are older than Damien Wilkins, but The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” just happens to eek him out by a couple years. At 37, Wilkins has had a whole lot of basketball in his career, but no NBA tenure since 2013. Thus, when news broke that the Pacers had signed him to a one-year deal, fans were rightly confused.
His veteran leadership and time under Nate McMillan in Seattle in the mid-2000s are the simple reasons why he rounded out this year’s roster (plus some star-studded G-league performances last year), but this low-risk move has proven to garner little reward.
While Wilkins wasn’t signed to be a key contributor to the team, he’s only appeared in 17 games and has done nothing of note in any of them. In terms of pure on-court presence, Wilkins isn’t cutting it at all.
But, obviously, the signing wasn’t all about his playing abilities. As a veteran on a relatively young NBA team, Wilkins has likely been a strong figure in the locker room for guys like Lance Stephenson and Victor Oladipo. That’s a positive that can’t be quantified, and one that could never be evaluated by anyone outside of that locker room. It’s possible that Wilkins is being groomed to become an assistant coach, a role that probably wouldn’t be too difficult for him to transition to once he retires.
His time has also just been pretty fun. One of the cuter moments of the season was when the gender of Wilkins’ baby was revealed at a timeout during last week’s Indiana Pacers – Dallas Mavericks game.
"It's a boy!" Congrats to Damien Wilkins and his family after a gender reveal during a timeout. @Pacers pic.twitter.com/euAGO5tO6h
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) December 28, 2017
But, here we are in January, and it’s time to look at the big picture. The Pacers have to decide by Jan. 7, when his salary becomes fully guaranteed, whether to keep Wilkins on the roster or save some money and open up a roster spot.
On Jan. 7, Wilkins’ cap hit clocks in at $697,855.46. After 5 p.m., his $2.3 million salary becomes fully guaranteed and his full cap hit of $1,471,382 is locked in for the rest of the year. Ultimately, cutting him would save the Pacers about $773.5k in cap space. Not too much, but not insignificant.
Finally updated the Pacers cap sheet to reflect the Alex Poythress signing. Damien Wilkins' contract becomes fully guaranteed on January 7th. pic.twitter.com/Slt3pzR3io
— Tony East (@TonyREast) January 1, 2018
But, the bigger benefit would obviously be the open roster spot. Though it may not seem like having the ability to sign fringe NBA guys to 10-day contracts all spring is that lucrative of a concept, let’s not forget that a certain Lance Stephenson became available during the spring last year, and the Pacers were able to secure a roster spot for him on a cheap deal. The Pacers had to get rid of Rodney Stuckey in order to make that happen, though (and they also saved themselves from his $7m player option), so there’s a precedent for such sacrifice.
With no disrespect to Wilkins or the role he’s had in fostering a locker room that has been the best its been in years, the smart pure basketball decision here is to let him go and see what the Pacers can make of the open spot. Of course, if the Pacers aren’t as worried about the money, they can keep Wilkins for now and simply waive him later if a player they like becomes available. Either way, it makes much more sense for a young guy to be rolling with the Pacers at the end of the bench than Wilkins, especially with Glenn Robinson III slated to return soon.
As an act of love from found-again coach-to-player, or for basic continuity, Wilkins may stay on for the rest of the season, however. Despite his subpar contributions, he seems to be well-liked by the rest of the team and could eventually become a long-term member of the coaching staff (or another coaching staff). Besides, he earned his spot after a four-year absence, and no one would be pressed to see him play out the year in full.
Next: Point Guard Mondays: Joe Young’s big night
Whatever the Pacers choose, it won’t be likely to have a big impact on the team’s immediate future, but it’s an interesting subplot to take note of during a season that’s had a lot more interesting subplots than anyone was expecting.