So no one wants to sign as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers? That's not entirely true.
But it's close.
By our definition, 43 free agents have signed with the Pacers but, yes, few of them were elite players. Here are the qualifications for a free agent to be ranked:
>> Starting with unrestricted free agency in 1988.
>> Signed in the offseason.
>> Finished the previous season on another team's NBA roster. (This eliminates Pascal Siakam, who would rank at the top of the list.)
The contract a player signed is factored into the ranking. In other words, if a player was signed to a small contract (www.basketball-reference.com is the primary source of salary information), the expectations on his production are not as high. With the NBA's moratorium expiring July 6, here are the updated rankings of a list that originally posted in 2017:
1. David West, 2011
The only free agent the Pacers have signed who could be considered an elite player. Indianasigned West for $20 million over two years coming off an anterior cruciate ligament tear and his numbers dropped a bit from his New Orleans days, but there was no doubting his impact. FormerIndyStar Pacers beat writer Candace Bucknerdescribes him:
"(He had) the reputation of being a fully grown man. He plays like a throwback post player — all butt and body, bruising opponents on the block — and when it's on, his jump shot from the elbow can be counted for two points as soon as it leaves his hand."
West chose the Pacers over a Boston Celtics team that had played in two NBA Finals over the previous four years to serve as a veteran influence on a talented young team.
"The second he got here, you got the feeling that this guy was going to be the one to really change this whole locker room, change this whole team," Paul George said in that 2014 article. "He just brought an edge and a toughness, real leadership the second he got here."
West'sleadershipwas a major factor in Indiana returning to the NBA’s elite teams in 2013 and ’14. West was a power forward who could score — inside or as a mid-range shooter as noted above —when needed but was fine playing defense and rebounding if that’s what the team required. He was alsoan underrated playmaker (2.8 assists per game).
He opted out of a $12-million contract with the Pacers to sign with the Spurs in 2015 for $1 million, then went to Golden State and was a key reserve in their championship run.
2. Bojan Bogdanovic, 2017
It was a good signing when it happened -- a desperately needed shooter -- and it became a great signing. Bogey provided the shooting as promised: following up a career-high 40.2% on 3s and14.3 points per game in 2017-18 with new career-highs of 42.5% on 3s and 18.0 ppg in 2018-19. He signed with Utah after the 2018-19 season.
3. Darren Collison, 2017
His signing brought mostly shrugs. Nothing against Collison's career, he'd been a solid mid-level point guard throughout but it hardly seemed like a key move to a rebuilding roster. Instead, he led the NBA in 3-point shooting (46.8%) and was a perfect match for Nate McMillan's offense, pushing the tempo with 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his first season. He dipped in Year 2 (11.2 ppg, 6.0 apg, 40.7 3-point shooting) but was still a significant contributor.
4. Micheal Williams, 1990
He played 22 games with Charlotte the previous season and had appeared in a total of 77 in his career when he signed for $325,000 with the Pacers. Hedeveloped into a solid starting point guard for a team that was finding its first postseason success in the Reggie Miller era. Williams averaged 13.2 points on 49.4% shooting, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals while making 113 starts.
Williams averaged 20.6 points, 8.4 assists and 2.8 steals when the Pacers took the vaunted Boston Celtics to the full fivegames in their first round series in 1991. Here's what then-Celtics star Larry Bird had to say about Williams in Nate Taylor's oral history on the seriesfor IndyStar:
"They were young, but they had a little guard in Micheal Williams that we had no clue for because (of his) quickness. He was really good.They put him in a high pick-and-roll and they’d put Reggie (Miller) in one corner and Chuck (Person) in the other and it caused problems because we had to come to help and once we'd commit, they’d hit the 3s. He caused a lot of problems."
The Pacers traded Williams and Person to Minnesota for Sam Mitchell and Pooh Richardson, a deal that did not work out in their favor. Williams had two strong seasons in Minnesota but couldn't stay on the court his final five seasons.
5. T.J. McConnell, 2019
He seemed like just a guy when he signed after averaging 6.4 points and 4.7 assists in four seasons in Philadelphia. But McConnell has proven to be more than that with the Pacers, nearly leading the NBA in steals in 26.0 minutes per game in 2020-21 while averaging a then-career-high 8.6 points. He took it up another level at the end of the 2023-24 season, averaging a career-high 10.2 points and 5.5 assists and shooting 40.9% on 3s, though on limited attempts.
6. C.J. Miles, 2013
A rare mid-level NBA free agent bargain at a little more than $4 million per year over three years. He got better each year — his overall and 3-point shooting percentages each of his three seasons: .398/.345 to .409/.367 to .434/.413 — and provided needed shooting whether he was starting or coming off the bench. He averaged 12 points and shot 37.4% on 3s overall. Milesalso sacrificed by playing out of position when necessary, putting in time as a 6-6 power forward.
7. Justin Holiday, 2019
A journeyman -- 6 teams in 6 seasons -- before signing a $4.767 million deal with the Pacers, he established himself in Indy. He averaged 9.8 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 38.8% on 3s and providing good defense at whatever position the Pacers needed with his rail-thin 6-6, 180-pound frame his first two-plus seasons in Indianapolis. He was traded in the Tyrese Haliburton deal midway through his third year.
8. Doug McDermott, 2019
Another free agent who improved while in Indianapolis, averaging a career-high 13.6 points on 53.2% shooting overall in 2020-21 before signing with San Antonio. McDermott was signed to deliver 3-point shooting -- and he did at 41.1% in 3 seasons. His scoring average increased each season, from 7.3 to 10.3 to 13.6. Holiday gets the edge due to his defense but both were quality additions in 2019. McDermott returned to the Pacers for the end of the 2023-24 season in a trade.
9. Anthony Johnson, 2003
In the five years prior to signing with the Pacers, Johnson averaged 3.5 points and 1.5 assists. The Pacers picked him up for $813,679 and he would develop into a regular starter over the next three seasons, averaging 7.9 points and 3.9 assists. His peak coincided with the end of his Pacers career. He averaged 20 points, 5.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds in a six-game, first-round playoff exit against the New Jersey Nets in 2006, scoring 40 in a 96-90 Game 6 loss. It would be his last game with the Pacers as he was dealt to Dallas for 38-year-old Darrell Armstrong, Rawle Marshall and Josh Powell. Johnson bounced from Dallas to Atlanta to Sacramento to Orlando as a serviceable reserve pointguard.
10. Jeremy Lamb, 2019
Nos. 10-12 are tough and Lamb's injuries (46 and 36 games his first two seasons) and diminishing scoring (12.5 to 10.1 to 7.1) could easily drop him a couple spots but he averaged double-digits his first two seasons, filling his role as a scorer off the bench who could spot start. Was dealt to Sacramento as part of the Tyrese Haliburton trade.
11. Ricky Pierce, 1995
One of the greatest sixth men of all-time in the NBA — he was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 1987 and '90 — Pierce was 36 when he signed with the Pacers for $1 million. He had struggled with injuries the two seasons before joining the Pacers but pumped in 9.7 points (his lowest total since his rookie season) on 44.7% shooting. After the season, he was packaged with Mark Jackson and a first-round pick that would become Efthimi Rentzias for Jalen Rose, Reggie Williams and a first-round pick that would become Erick Dampier.
12. C.J. Watson, 2013
He was signed for $4.1 million over two seasons to provide quality minutes as a backup point guard and did just that, averaging 8.2 points on 43.5% shooting (38.4% on 3s) and 2.6 assists. He appeared in 120 games, making 26 starts, 21 in 2014-15 when he averaged 10.0 points per game.
13. Bruce Brown, 2023
Brown only appeared in 33 games for the Pacers so you can knock him down a few spots but he was also a key piece in adding Pascal Siakam ... not a bad return for an "overpaid" free agent. The Pacers drew some criticism for signing Brown to a contract for $22 million for the 2023-24 season with a $23 million team option for 2024-25. Brown was quite what he was advertised as when it came to point of attack defense but he averaged 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists, shooting 47.8% before the trade.
14. Tyreke Evans, 2018
Evans seemed like a perfect fit: A big guard who could get his own shot when Victor Oladipo was on the bench, all for one year at $12.4 million. It didn't work out as Evans was suspended for an early-season game due to tardiness and never seemed to fit in coach Nate McMillan's scheme. Evans averaged 10.2 points on 38.9% shooting, 35.6% on 3s, with 2.4 assists. Evans did flash his contributions in the playoffs that season, averaging 15.3 points on 43.8% shooting, 55.0% on 3s, and 4.3 rebounds in the Celtics' sweep.
15. Rodney Stuckey, 2013
A tale of two contracts. He signed for a mere $1.2 million in 2013 and helped keep things afloat while Paul George recovered from his broken leg, averaging 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting acareer-high 39.0% on 3s. Then he re-upped for two more years, each at more than $6 million, played poorly (8.2 points, 39.9 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists) and was a bad fit on a roster that had several other players that played their best with the ball in their hands. He was waived nearthe end of last season, clearing the way for the Lance Stephenson-led revival.
16. Earl Watson, 2009
A good enough backup point guard to carve out a 13-year career, he spent his one season in Indiana as a starter, averaging 7.8 points on 42.6% shooting (just 28.8% on 3s) with 5.1 assists. A decent return on a $2.8 million contract.
Watson's career has become deeply influenced by Indiana. The Kansas City native chose UCLA over Kansas to learn from Martinsville's John Wooden, according to a kansascity.com story:
"Watson would spend hours at Wooden’s condo, with visits at least once a week, listening to guidance about life beyond basketball. They talked about everything from how to be a better man to Watson’s worries about what would be required after backcourt mate Baron Davis left early for the NBA."
Watson also credited his time with the Pacers as an important factor in preparing him to be an NBA coach. He spent 118 games leading the Phoenix Suns after playing for Jim O'Brien and a staff that included former Pacers coach Frank Vogel and long time assistant Dick Harter.
“That group kind of taught me I needed to be a coach,” Watson told the Orlando.
17. Dahntay Jones, 2009
Jones had his most productive season after signing with the Pacers for $2.5 million in 2009, averaging 10.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 76 games. He slipped into a reserve role the next two seasons — averaging 5.7 points — but was eventually packaged with Darren Collison for Ian Mahinmi, a deal that turned out well for the Pacers.
18. Mike Sanders, 1989
The undersized (6-6, 210 pounds) small forward was a useful piece off the bench at relatively low cost (his 1989-90 salary information is not available but he received $760,000 and $860,000 his final two years in Indiana). He appeared in 172 games, averaging 5.8 points on 44.4% shooting and 2.5 rebounds.Sanders was a fourth-round pick but spent 11 seasons in the NBA.
His career was remarkable. Sanders was inserted into the starting lineup at UCLA in 1979-80 when the team was 8-6 and averaged 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds as a 6-6 center. The Bruins would reach the NCAA championship game — Sanders was MVP of the West Regional — losing to Louisville.
He told the story of his first season playing organized basketball as the source of his drive on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame website:
"My coach gave the starters trophies, and he gave the guys on the second team a medal the size of a nickel," recalled Sanders. "I was so disappointed.
"I went home and told my mother, and I went on the back porch and threw that medal as far as I could throw it because I felt I should've gotten a trophy. Maybe that was the turning point in my drive to show people I was better than what they gave me credit for."
He surprised some by becoming a starter for the varsity team at DeRidder in his sophom*ore year, and he surprised even more by being a three-time all-state pick, a two-time Louisiana Prep Player of the Year and a third-team prep All-American.
19. Al Jefferson, 2016
He was supposed to provide scoring in the post off the bench after signing for approximately $30 million over three seasons. Instead, he struggled to find consistent minutes in an NBA relying more and more on shooting and length, averaging 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds. He averaged 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in his second season with the Pacers and was, by all accounts, a significant locker room presence.
20. Jordan Hill, 2015
Signed when the Pacers were trying to acquire every active NBA player named Hill — they succeeded, already having George and Solomon — Jordan Hill was aserviceable big man, providing 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in 73 games for $4 million. It was arguably the second-best season of his eight-year career but he didn't return.
21. Torrey Craig, 2021
Craig was signed as a $5 million bench when the Pacers thought they could be contenders but instead slipped into the lottery. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 51 games before the Pacers dealt the veteran to the Suns for Jalen Smith.
22. Kenny Anderson, 2003
One of the most hyped point guard recruits in history — and the No. 2 overall pick in 1991 draft — was coming to the end of his career when he signedwith the Pacers for $1,070,000 at the age of 33. He started ahead of Jamaal Tinsley when healthy,averaging 6.0 points on 44.1% shooting, with 2.8 assists in 44 games.
Anderson earned $63 million during his NBA career but was bankrupt by the end. Yahoo wrote about the incredibleups and downs of Anderson's life.
23. Glenn Robinson III, 2015
He wasn't good enough to stick with two of the worst teams in the NBA — Minnesota and Philadelphia — as a rookie in 2014-15 but signed with the Pacers for $845,000. He peaked in Year 2, averaging 6.1 points and shooting 39.2% on 3s, earning 27 starts. Robinson wasn't more than a reserve, but he was athletic — winning the 2017 Slam Dunk contest — versatile and an Indiana native.
24. Erick Strickland, 2002
An undrafted free agent, he carved out a nine-year career as a reserve guard. The Pacers signed him for $762,435 and he was solid as a backup point guard, averaging 6.5 points on 42.9% shooting (38.8% on 3s), 2.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 71 games.
A premium athlete, he was an all-star in football and baseball as well as basketball coming out of a Nebraska high school. Strickland was drafted in the 31st round by the then-Florida Marlins and played 103 minor league games in 1992 and '93, hitting .262 with a .361 on-base percentage and .362 slugging average, adding 19 steals.
25. Monta Ellis, 2015
Exhibit A for Pacers' free agency. He was coming off a season in which he averaged 18.9 points, his eighth consecutive season hitting that mark, and signed for $44 million over four years. But as a prep-to-the-pros player, he had a lot of mileage on his body and a knee injury hampered him with the Pacers.
There was an argument to adding him for the 2015-16 season with George Hill handling point guard. Ellisaveraged 13.8 points on 42.7% shooting, 4.7 assists and 1.9 steals. But the Pacers re-signed Rodney Stuckey and traded for Jeff Teague, giving them too many players who need the ball in their hands.Ellis dipped further, his 8.5 points, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals were his lowest numbers since his rookie season. The Pacers released him, ending his NBA career.
26. Rickey Green, 1989
The veteran point guard was a reserve for 69 games, shooting 43.3% and averaging 3.5 points and 2.6 assists per game backing up Vern Fleming. A first-round pick out of Michigan, he was out of the NBA after two seasons but got a second chance with Utah and earned a reputation as the fastest player in the league. Green was still an effective NBA player at the age of 36.
27. Duane Ferrell, 1994
Another inexpensive ($650,000 in 1994-95) pickup who chipped in off the bench. Ferrell appeared in 172 games (25 starts), shot 47.6% from the floor with 4.8 points. He had his best season in his last year, averaging 6.4 points and 2.3 rebounds, making 18 of his starts. He was traded to Golden State with Erick Dampier for Chris Mullin.
28. Aaron Brooks, 2016
Brooks was something of a disappointment, shooting 37.5% on 3-pointers and averaging a career-low 5.0 points per game with 1.9 assists, his lowest average since his rookie season.
29. JaKarr Sampson, 2019
A useful swing forward for two seasons in 2019 for $3.3 million. Sampson averaged 4.6 points on 54.4% shooting and 2.6 rebounds in 63 games.
30. Kevin Seraphin, 2016
A big body, Seraphin averaged 4.7 points on 55.1% shooting and 2.9 rebounds in just 11.4 minutes per game in the final year of his NBA career. And he liked snakes.
31. Gerald Green, 2012
A first-round pick by the Celtics in 2005, he flamed out quickly and had to go to Russia for two seasons to earn his way back into the NBA. After 25 impressive games with New Jersey — 12.9 points, 39.1% 3-point shooting — in 2012, the Pacers signed him for $3.5 million. He was a disappointment, averaging 7.0 points on 36.6% shooting (31.4% on 3s). Green was sent to Phoenix as part of the package for Luis Scola and averaged 15.8 points. He earned NBA paychecks until he was 33.
32. Chris Copeland, 2013
He averaged 6.2 points (including 13 in a Game 5 victory), hitting 11 3s and shooting 55% from behind the arc for the Knicks in the playoffs against the Pacers in 2013 and then signed with Indiana for $6.135 million over two years. That's a nice payday for a player who spent a season in the then-D-League and five overseas with stops in Belgium, Germany and Spain before earning a spot with the Knicks. But his lack of defense usually out-weighed his potential contributions as a stretch-4 for Pacers coach Frank Vogel. In 91 games, he averaged just 5.1 points on 39.1% shooting, 34.6% on 3s. His Pacers' career was effectively ended when he was stabbed in the abdomen and elbow in New York while waiting for a car with his ex-fiancee, Katrine Saltara, outside of the 1OAK Club. He returned to play 24 games with the Bucks in 2015-16.
33. Solomon Jones, 2009
He was paid more than $3 million over two seasons to be 6-10, 230 pounds ... and that's exactly what he did. Jones played in 91 games, averaging 3.8 points,2.8 rebounds and .6 blocksin 13.2 minutes per game.
34. Kyle O'Quinn, 2018
O'Quinn is hard to rank. He only appeared in 45 games, averaging 3.5 points and2.6 rebounds, but he was signed as injury insurance to a reasonable $4.449 million contract and no one got hurt. Ranked here on production but there's an argument he should be higher.
35. Travis Diener, 2007
He hung around for three years as point guard depth, playing less each season. Diener finished with 125 games, 38.0% shooting (34.0% on 3s), 5.3 points and 3.0 assists. That's not much of a return on a nearly $5 million contract.
36. Stephen Graham, 2007
His time with the Pacers was the peak of his six-year career, averaging 5.0 points on 44.6% shooting in 74 games over two seasons. His salaries — $770,610, $826,269 — matched his production.
37. James Johnson, 2022
Johnson's production -- 2.2 points, 1.3 rebounds -- is not as important as his presence as the players no one in the league wants to mess with. He was signed a free agent in 2022, eventually release and re-signed last season after the game ball craziness in Milwaukee. You can put him lower (or higher) on this list.
38. Dwayne Schintzius, 1995
The 3.4 points per game he averaged for the Pacers was the second-best total in his eight-year career. He also shot a career-best 44.5%, though he was a 7-1, 260-pound post player. The $225,000 the Pacers paid him is the second-lowest salary listed at basketball-reference.com so there's that.
Schintzius was a gifted college basketball player — he led Florida to its first three NCAA tournament appearances — but was better known for his mullet haircut (known as The Lobster) and quitting the team after 11 games in the 1989-90 season.
Schintzius died in 2012 at the age of 43 due to respiratory failure. He was fighting complications from a bone marrow transplant he received as part of his treatment for leukemia.
39. Sam Young, 2012
A pure depth pickup, Young averaged 2.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 56 games for $723,716. It was his last season in the NBA.
40. Brad Wanamaker, 2021
Wanamaker was signed as point guard depth behind Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell -- a roll he'd filled capably earlier in his career. But Wanamaker shot just 36.1% in 22 games, averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 assists, and with the Pacers going nowhere they released the 32-year-old.
41. Carlos Rogers, 2001
The 11th overall pick in 1994 showed some flashes his first three seasons, averaging 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks with Golden State and Toronto but was little more than big body after that. He signed with the Pacers for $778,350 in 2001 and averaged 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 22 games. He would not play in the NBA again.
42. Mark West, 1997
West was a valuable defense and rebounding center at his peak but he'd play just 15 games for the Pacers (averaging 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds) after signing for $650,000 at the age of 37. He'd appear in 71 more NBA games, retiring at the age of 39.
43. Terry Mills, 2000
Mills had his moments with the Pistons in the mid-'90s. He had even started 78 games for them (averaging 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds) the season prior to signing with the Pacers for $1,000,000. But Mills would appear in just 14 games, shooting 32.4% and average 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds at the age of 33.
