Using their open roster spot, the Pacers used a 10-day contract to sign Trey McKinney-Jones to the squad.
Nobody knew what the Pacers would do with the extra roster spot they gained from waiving Damien Wilkins. There was speculation that they would use it to take a player in via trade, but the trade deadline came and went and that did not occur.
Today, we found out what Indiana is going to use the roster spot for (at least for the next week and a half) as they signed Trey McKinney-Jones to a 10-day contract, per a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
McKinney-Jones has Pacers ties previously. You may recall that he got a training camp invite this past September to be given a tryout to make the team, though a shoulder injury kept him off the court for most of that time.
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His more intimate ties to the organization come from his time spent with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
He is in the middle of his fourth season with the Pacers G League affiliate. The 6’5″ combo-guard plays in more of a ball handling role and is known know for his effective scoring and frenetic defense.
In his four seasons with the Mad Ants, he has posted averages of 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while also hauling in slightly over one steal per game.
His three-point shooting has been solid this season at 38 percent, but in his four seasons in the minors, his overall average is just 32.1 percent.
McKinney-Jones is more of an athletic slasher, his two-point field goal percentage has been over 50 every year of his career and he has no trouble getting by guys on his way to the rim:
Hopefully, McKinney-Jones can bring that same energy and athleticism to the Pacers bench.
The move does come at a somewhat puzzling time. With Darren Collison soon to return, it is odd that the Pacers would bring another guard into the mix. This move suggests a possibility that Collison or Glenn Robinson III will not be ready to return for Friday’s game against Atlanta.
Another possibility for the interesting timing is that the Pacers next three games are against Atlanta (twice) and Dallas, which should be three easier games for Indiana. The front office may just want McKinney-Jones to plug up some minutes in garbage time and show what he can do on the big stage.
On the same day, McKinney-Jones’ Mad Ants teammate Walter Lemon Jr. signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, per a report from Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
The New Orleans Pelicans are signing guard Walter Lemon Jr. of G League’s Fort Wayne on a 10-day contract, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2018
It seems the Mad Ants are doing something right in the player development department given that two of their players got pro deals in a span of a few hours.
Next: 5 players the Indiana Pacers can look for in trades this summer
Who knows what Trey McKinney-Jones can bring to the table at the professional level. Given that the Pacers should blow out their opponent Friday night, we may get to find out sooner rather than later. Since the contract spans 10 days and the clock doesn’t start until the contract is signed, the Pacers won’t officially ink him to the deal until closer to game day against Atlanta. Be on the lookout for the announcement from the team later in the week.