The Indiana Pacers have agreed to sign unrestricted free agent center Al Jefferson to a contract worth $30 million over 3 years. The contract cannot officially be signed until the end of the NBA’s moratorium period on July 7th.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical broke the news on Friday afternoon.
Al Jefferson has agreed in principle to a three-year, $30M deal with Indiana, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2016
Report: Al Jefferson Agrees to Contract with Indiana Pacers
Jefferson’s contract will take him through the end of the 2019 season. There are no player or team options included in the deal.
Jefferson averaged 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game last season for the Charlotte Hornets. Jefferson’s numbers dropped significantly last season, averaging 4.6 less points and 2 less rebounds per game from the previous season. Jefferson only played 47 games last season, starting just 18 of them. This was mainly due to injuries, but Jefferson did miss 5 games because of a suspension. Jefferson was suspended for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program in December. The Hornets managed to make the playoffs as the 6th seed, but were beaten in the first round by the 3rd seed Miami Heat. Jefferson started five of the seven games and put up his average numbers, but it clearly wasn’t enough to beat the Heat.
Jefferson is heading into his 12th season in the league, during which he’ll be 31 years old. He has played for four teams in his 11 years of NBA experience. Jefferson has played for Boston, Minnesota, Utah and Charlotte. Jefferson was drafted in 2004, 15th overall by the Boston Celtics.
Looking forward, Jefferson will provide very good size at the center position for the Pacers; he will compete with Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young for playing time in the Indiana frontcourt. Jefferson is a good finisher around the basket and can score in many different ways, an asset the Pacers can definitely use to their advantage. Jefferson will need to clear up any off the court issues he may have if he is to be successful in Indiana. After acquiring Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and now Al Jefferson, the Pacers look poised to become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. It’s been quite an off-season for Larry Bird and the rest of his front office.
Check out the LWOS 2016 NBA Free Agency Tracker for all of your NBA free agency coverage, and be sure to follow @LastWordHoops on Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest NBA news.
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