RealGM Basketball Wiretap

27 July 2024

• James Johnson, Pacers Agree To One-Year, $3.3M Deal

  James Johnson has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.

  Johnson was re-signed by the Pacers during the middle of last season as a veteran presence.

• Spurs Made Trade Calls On Darius Garland, Andrew Nembhard

  Before pivoting to Chris Paul in free agency, the San Antonio Spurs registered trade interest with the Indiana Pacers on Andrew Nembhard and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Darius Garland, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Nembhard signed a three-year, $59 million contract extension with the Pacers on Wednesday. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have rebuffed all trade interest on Garland.

  The Spurs have a short-term solution to stabilize their backcourt in Paul, but they surely will continue to address the position as they build around Victor Wembanyama.

  San Antonio selected Stephon Castle at No. 4 in last month's draft and were set on him as the pick for the majority of the pre-draft process. Castle has previously shown an ability to play alongside another guard while at UConn.

• Andrew Nembhard, Pacers Agree To Three-Year, $59M Extension

  The Indiana Pacers and guard Andrew Nembhard have agreed to a three-year, $59 million contract extension. Nembhard has become an integral member of the Pacers rotation in his first two NBA seasons.

  In two seasons since being the 31st pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Nembhard has appeared in 143 games with 110 starts. He's averaged 9.3 points, 4.3 assists and shot 46.7% from the field.

  In the 2024 NBA Playoffs, with Tyrese Haliburton battling injuries, Nembhard averaged 14.9 points, 5.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. Over 17 playoff games, culminating in the Eastern Conference Finals, Nembhard shot 56% from the field, including 48.3% on three-pointers.

• Keisei Tominaga, Pacers Agree To Exhibit 10 Contract

  The Indiana Pacers and guard Keisei Tominaga have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract. Tominaga went undrafted at the 2024 NBA Draft out of Nebraska. Tominaga is also a member of Japan's National Team and is expected to play in the 2024 Paris Olympics later this summer.

  As a senior with the Cornhuskers, Tominaga averaged 15.1 points. The 6-foot-2 guard shot 37.6% on 6.3 three-point attempts per game.

  In five games for Japan at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Tominaga averaged 11.4 points and shot 37.5% on 6.4 three-point attempts per game.

• James Wiseman, Pacers Agree To Two-Year Deal

  James Wiseman and the Indiana Pacers have a greed to a two-year deal. Wiseman, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA, was an unrestricted free agent after the Detroit Pistons declined to extend their qualifying offer to him. The Pacers have had recent success with "second draft" players such as Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith and Obi Toppin.

  Wiseman, who is represented by Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk, appeared in 63 games with the Pistons last season. In 17.3 minutes per game, Wiseman averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds.

  Wiseman will have the opportunity to win rotation minutes at center behind Myles Turner with his athleticism being a fit for the Pacers' fast paced offense.

• Jalen Smith, Bulls Agree To Three-Year, $27M Deal

  Free agent center Jalen Smith and the Chicago Bulls have agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract. Smith opted out of a $5.4 million player option with the Indiana Pacers ahead of free agency and now cashes in with the Bulls.

  The 24-year-old center averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game for the Pacers last season. Smith shot an impressive 59.2% from the field, including 42.4% on three-pointers.

• Obi Toppin, Pacers Agree To Four-Year, $60M Extension

  Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal. The Pacers acquired Toppin last offseason from the New York Knicks.

  Toppin was set to become a restricted free agent had the two sides been unable to agree to a deal. Toppin is represented by Austin Brown, Mitch Nathan and Sam Rose of CAA.

  In 82 games with the Pacers last season, Toppin averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebound and 1.6 assists in 21.1 minutes.

• 2024 NBA Draft Results: Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Reed Sheppard Picked Top-3

  The Atlanta Hawks opened the 2024 NBA Draft by selecting Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, followed by Alex Sarr to the Washington Wizards. Risacher and Sarr going first and second was widely expected for several weeks even though there was some suspense over the Hawks' decision at No. 1 as they reportedly narrowed their choices down to Risacher and Reed Sheppard heading into the draft.

  Sheppard went No. 3 to the Houston Rockets after they had been linked to multiple trade scenarios. The Detroit Pistons selecting Ron Holland at No. 5 was a surprise considering his struggles with the G League Ignite, but he entered this draft cycle as one of the candidates to go No. 1.

  After Donovan Clingan dropped to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7, the biggest surprise of the first round occurred when the Minnesota Timberwolves sent an unprotected first round pick in 2031 and a pick swap in 2030 to the San Antonio Spurs for Rob Dillingham.

  Dalton Knecht surprisingly fell out of the lottery and all the way to the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 17, while Isaiah Collier fell even further than expected to the Utah Jazz at No. 29.

  First Round Results
  1. Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher
  2. Washington Wizards: Alex Sarr
  3. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn): Reed Sheppard
  4. San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle
  5. Detroit Pistons: Ron Holland
  6. Charlotte Hornets: Tidjane Salaun
  7. Portland Trail Blazers: Donovan Clingan
  8. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Toronto and San Antonio): Rob Dillingham
  9. Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Edey
  10. Utah Jazz: Cody Williams
  11. Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Houston): Nikola Topic
  13. Sacramento Kings: Devin Carter
  14. Washington Wizards (from Golden State via Boston, Memphis, Portland): Bub Carrington
  15. Miami Heat: Kel'el Ware
  16. Philadelphia 76ers: Jared McCain
  17. Los Angeles Lakers: Dalton Knecht
  18. Orlando Magic: Tristan da Silva
  19. Toronto Raptors (from Indiana): Ja'Kobe Walter
  20. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jaylon Tyson
  21. New Orleans Pelicans (from Milwaukee): Yves Missi
  22. Denver Nuggets (from Phoenix): DaRon Holmes II
  23. Milwaukee Bucks (from New Orleans): AJ Johnson
  24. Washington Wizards (from Dallas and New York Knicks): Kyshawn George
  25. New York Knicks: Pacome Dadiet
  26. Oklahoma City Thunder (from LA Clippers via Dallas, Oklahoma City, Washington, New York): Dillon Jones
  27. Minnesota Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr.
  28. Phoenix Suns (from Denver): Ryan Dunn
  29. Utah Jazz (from Oklahoma City via Toronto and Indiana): Isaiah Collier
  30. Boston Celtics: Baylor Scheierman

• Pascal Siakam, Pacers Agree To Four-Year, $189.5M Contract

  Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a four-year, $189.5 million contract. That is the maximum salary Siakam could get on a four-year deal with Indiana.

  The Pacers acquired Siakam ahead of last season's trade deadline. Indiana sent the Toronto Raptors three first-round picks, Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and Kira Lewis Jr. in exchange for the All-Star forward.

  In 39 games with Indiana, Siakam averaged 22.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He proved to be a great fit alongside Tyrese Haliburton and in the Pacers up-tempo system.

  Siakam is represented by Todd Ramasar and Jaafar Choufani.

  2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker

• RealGM Radio: Caitlin Cooper On The Pacers, Eric Nehm On The Bucks (Jun 2024)

  Host Danny Leroux talks with Caitlin Cooper of Basketball, She Wrote about the Pacers, and Eric Nehm of The Athletic about the Bucks.

  Cooper and Leroux discuss how to interpret the Pacers' surprising run to the Conference Finals, some fascinating roster decisions and much more, while Nehm and Leroux attempt to filter out the relevant stories of a strange Bucks season and preview their offseason.

  Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed.