Pacers GM wants to keep key player in Indiana for the rest of his career

The Indiana Pacers made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals. A big reason for that is the depth of the team. Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan put together a team that was able to get through injuries at various points in the season to make this run.

One of the key players on the bench is T.J. McConnell. McConnell was simply fantastic throughout most of the playoffs. His ability to create his own shot and create for others is exactly what Indiana needs. Defensively he's fairly solid as well. The only thing he doesn't do is spread the floor.

Buchanan was asked specifically about McConnell on a local radio show. Buchanan mentioned that he wanted to keep McConnell with the Pacers for the rest of his career. He is up for an extension and his contract next season is not fully guaranteed at $9.3 million.

Pacers GM wants to keep T.J. McConnell in Indiana

Keeping McConnell in Indiana is a good idea. He's a great leader and a really solid player. The only question is, at what number? He's 32 years old and his game won't age very well. He plays to exhaustion and makes a lot of sudden stops. He relies on his speed too, which will slow down with age.

McConnell is the type of veteran that the team needs, so I think it's smart. What this does do is create some issues with the guard play though. Is Andrew Nembhard most effective starting next to Tyrese Haliburton? Or is he better running his own unit as he did in Game 3 and Game 4 against Boston?

Nembhard is most effective with the ball in his hands, but you could see him adapt in the playoffs to the style of play the Pacers needed from him. His three-point shooting got a lot better too, which helps. I think he's a solid starter next to Haliburton. McConnell is best suited to running the backups.

It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract they get McConnell signed to. I assume he too would like to stay in Indiana.