Indiana Pacers May Sign Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart This Offseason
This upcoming offseason has been a highly controversial one for the NBA, especially in the free agency department. If recent reports are to be believed, it looks like the Indiana Pacers are targeting Aaron Gordon and Marcus Smart in the free agency.
It is undeniable that the Pacers are a bag of surprises. With its impressive record of 33–25 heading into the All-Star Break, the team has taken everyone in the NBA by surprise this season, leading many to speculate that the team might attempt to sign new players in free agency during the offseason. Particularly rumored to be joining the Pacers are Orlando Magic star power forward Aaron Gordon and Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart.
In a Sporting News article, NBA writer Sean Deveney noted that the Pacers might go after Gordon and Smart as restricted free agents this summer to facilitate All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo. According to Deveney, front-office executives around the league expect the team to play on the restricted free agent market this offseason, and some great players might fall prey to an NBA-wide financial squeeze. This, he said, would allow the Pacers to sign talents like Gordon and Marcus at a reduced cost.
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"Aaron Gordon and Marcus Smart are bigger names expected to draw interest from the Pacers, and there could be bargains with the likes of Yogi Ferrell, Montrezl Harrell, and Patrick McCaw," said the NBA correspondent.
Last offseason, the Pacers acquired Oladipo from the Oklahoma City Thunder when the team traded Paul George. This weekend, he is set to become part of the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He said in a recent interview that he should attribute this achievement to his team, saying he had always felt like he had the ability, but it took him a lot of work to get that ability out of him.
Oladipo comes into the All-Star break this weekend with an average 24.4 points, a significant lift from his career average of 15.9 points.
