The Indiana Pacers are nearing an offseason that will be both interesting and important for the franchise. The team had a lackluster 2020-2021 campaign, finishing 34-38 and 9th in the Eastern Conference. They will host the Charlotte Hornets in a play-in game Tuesday evening.
This offseason, the Pacers have two unrestricted free agents that they have to make a decision on and one of them is Doug McDermott.
Should the Indiana Pacers re-sign Doug McDermott?
Last month, we looked at why the Pacers should re-sign the other free agent, T.J. McConnell, but should they keep Doug McDermott as well?
McDermott had the best season of his NBA career this year with the Pacers. He averaged career highs in minutes per game (24.5), as well as points per game (13.6). McDermott has been known as a spot-up shooter for the majority of his NBA career but he showed he can be more than just a shooter on the offensive end for the Pacers this season.
McDermott showed the ability to drive hard to the rim and had his fair share of dunks this season, not something that he has shown much of in the past. McDermott continued to be a steady shooter, shooting 38.8% from three, his lowest mark as a Pacer, but still respectable and near the top of the team in terms of percentage.
Why should the Pacers keep Doug?
The 2021 NBA free agent is one of the weaker ones in recent memory so it is unlikely the Pacers will be able to go out and sign anybody much better than McDermott. Guys like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Evan Fournier who could fill a similar role to McDermott will likely get bigger contracts than Doug, so they likely are not options.
McDermott has been arguably the best three-point shooter on the Pacers since he arrived in 2018. The Pacers lack good shooters at the moment, so keeping a guy like McDermott who has shown he can consistently knock down the three should be a priority for this team.
Another reason Doug should stay is that he has been reliable. McDermott has been big for the Pacers when they have a guy go down with an injury because he can come in and start and still provide a scoring threat. McDermott started a career-high 29 games this season and scored 20+ points on 11 different occasions. He is a decent scoring threat who can do it whether he is coming off the bench or being plugged into the starting lineup.
Do the Pacers already have too many wings?
One reason the Pacers may not look to bring back McDermott is because of the number of wings they already have on the roster. Justin Holiday was re-signed last offseason, T.J. Warren will be back from injury, and the team also has young guys like Oshae Brissett and Kelan Martin who have been impressing late in the season.
While depth is important, it is also important to not overpay for someone who will have to share minutes with many other wings off the bench.
So, should the Pacers bring back McDermott?
McDermott has been a valuable piece to the Pacers ever since he joined the team in 2018. His role has increased each year and his numbers have improved because of it. McDermott also seems to have great on-court chemistry with Domantas Sabonis. If Sabonis is gonna be on this team next season, bringing back McDermott would help both Doug and Domas.
The Pacers signed McDermott to a 3-year, $22 million contract when they got him in 2018 and I think if they are able to bring him back for similar value, then it is a no-brainer. $7.5 million is not too much for someone who can come off the bench and provide a scoring spark like McDermott has been able to for Indiana.
The offseason will likely begin shortly for the Indiana Pacers, and it will be exciting to see what this team does moving forward. They have decisions to make on who they want to keep and who they want to move on from.