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The Indiana Pacers made a small splash in NBA free agency on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Kelly Oubre Jr. on a two-year deal worth around $17 million.
Oubre was connected to the Pacers before the opening of free agency. Kevin Pritchard and the front office did not waste times getting an agreement in place.
While the move for Oubre still needs to be made official, he will become a key part of Indiana's rotation over the next two years. However, the Pacers were also interested in another intriguing free agent who would have provided bench scoring.
According to a report from HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto, Indiana was among the interested teams in Anfernee Simons. He ended up signing a two-year, $12.3 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
"Anfernee Simons had interest from the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Indiana Pacers, league sources said," Scotto reported on X.
"Simons ultimately agreed to a two-year, $12.3 million deal, including a player option, as ESPN first reported."
Simons would have been a solid "Plan B" for the Pacers if they had swung and missed on Oubre. He has shown the ability to score at a high level throughout his NBA career.
Last season, the 27-year-old wing played in 55 games split between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. He averaged 14.3 points per game to go along with 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while also shooting 44 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range.
What does Oubre bring to the table? He is coming off of a 2025-26 season with the 76ers that saw him average 14.1 points, five rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. Oubre shot 46.7 percent overall and knocked down 36 percent of his three-point attempts.
In addition to Oubre's scoring, he is a much better defender than Simons has been.
At the end of the day, it is clear that the Indiana front office was targeting bench scoring. If Oubre had chosen to sign elsewhere, Simons would have been an excellent fallback option.
Now, all fans can do is wait patiently to see if the Pacers are done or if more offseason moves are coming.
Continue reading...
Oubre was connected to the Pacers before the opening of free agency. Kevin Pritchard and the front office did not waste times getting an agreement in place.
While the move for Oubre still needs to be made official, he will become a key part of Indiana's rotation over the next two years. However, the Pacers were also interested in another intriguing free agent who would have provided bench scoring.
According to a report from HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto, Indiana was among the interested teams in Anfernee Simons. He ended up signing a two-year, $12.3 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.
"Anfernee Simons had interest from the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and Indiana Pacers, league sources said," Scotto reported on X.
"Simons ultimately agreed to a two-year, $12.3 million deal, including a player option, as ESPN first reported."
Simons would have been a solid "Plan B" for the Pacers if they had swung and missed on Oubre. He has shown the ability to score at a high level throughout his NBA career.
Last season, the 27-year-old wing played in 55 games split between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. He averaged 14.3 points per game to go along with 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists, while also shooting 44 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range.
What does Oubre bring to the table? He is coming off of a 2025-26 season with the 76ers that saw him average 14.1 points, five rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. Oubre shot 46.7 percent overall and knocked down 36 percent of his three-point attempts.
In addition to Oubre's scoring, he is a much better defender than Simons has been.
At the end of the day, it is clear that the Indiana front office was targeting bench scoring. If Oubre had chosen to sign elsewhere, Simons would have been an excellent fallback option.
Now, all fans can do is wait patiently to see if the Pacers are done or if more offseason moves are coming.
Continue reading...
