2016 NBA Free Agency: 5 Best Bargain Deals

Pacers Sign Big Man To Shore Up Bench

Addition: Al Jefferson: Three years, $30 million

The Pacers let go of their head coach and transformed the roster after watching the rest of the NBA get smaller and quicker while they continued trotting out lineups better fit for the 90s.

But Larry Bird still needs someone who reminds him of the good ol’ days since it’s hard to quit things cold turkey. (In all seriousness, Larry Legend has been one of the few NBA players of earlier eras to embrace the league’s current trends).

Enter Jefferson, a 31-year-old traditional center/forward with an old-school post game. That $10 million per year sounds like a lot of money for a player recovering from a torn meniscus that robbed him of what little mobility he had, but then you remember Jon Leuer agreed to a $42 million deal.

Jefferson is just two seasons removed from averaging 21.8 points per game and while his best playing days are behind him, he’s still capable of providing value in limited minutes off the bench.

According to Synergy, Jefferson scored or created 7.7 points per game out of the post, third highest in the league behind Marc Gasol and Nikola Vucevic. This of course, was done mostly in a reserve role last season with the Hornets.

Jefferson’s playing style should make him the focal point of the Pacers secondary units offensively, and Myles Turner is long and athletic enough to cover Jefferson’s notable defensive deficiencies in paired minutes.

If he can provide 20-25 minutes a game to Indianapolis nightly, he’s too skilled an offensive player for most backup forwards to handle, and should provide a welcome scoring presence for the Pacers.

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