3 players that might have played their last game for the Indiana Pacers
By Josh Wilson
With the NBA season indefinitely on hold, there’s a possibility the last games of the year have been played. With that in mind, what players could be on their way out of Indiana this summer?
Now over two weeks ago the NBA was put on an indefinite suspension after Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. Since then, at least one person from every imaginable sector of public life has come out and said they have tested positive.
In the NBA community, several players have tested positive including Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell and MVP winner Kevin Durant. Reporter Doris Burke has announced she tested positive. Sadly, Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother is in a medically-induced coma due to complications over battling the virus.
With the growth of the pandemic and its encroachment on the NBA comes the feel day after day that the league may have to cancel the season outright. The NBA has not said that is the case, but is weighing all options.
If the season is canceled, it’s possible these three Pacers may be on their way out of Indiana this summer.
From a broad standpoint, the Pacers are blessed to only have a few players that are unrestricted free agents this year. Most of their team will carry over to next season.
Let’s take a look at a few who could potentially head out.
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JaKarr Sampson
JaKarr Sampson was signed to an extremely inexpensive $1.7 million (veteran minimum) deal that expires this summer.
Sampson has been a journeyman in his career thus far, spending time in Philadelphia, Sacramento, and Chicago before Indiana. Aside from the four-game blitz where he averaged 20 points per game for the Bulls last year, he’s never been much of an offensive threat, though he has shown occasional propensity to hit a high volume of shots from beyond the arc at a fairly accurate clip. His OBPM this year is an atrocious -2.7.
Sampson has provided value when it comes to his defense, but his inability to score on the offensive end severely limits scenarios in which it’s helpful to play him for long periods of time.
The Pacers can likely get Sampson back for the veteran’s minimum again next season, but there may be better uses with their limited cap space this summer.