2017 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Darren Collison: 2 years, $20 million (Indiana Pacers)
Free agent guard Darren Collison has agreed in principle to a two-year, $20 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2017
The Indiana Pacers are undergoing a rebuild — albeit a very poorly managed one — following the Paul George trade that brought only Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indianapolis. With a gaping hole at the 1 and it making no sense to re-sign Jeff Teague, there are worse alternatives than two years of a former Pacers starter.
Collison, who played in Indiana from 2010-12, averaged 13.2 points and 4.6 assists per game on .476/.417/.860 shooting splits last year in Sacramento. He’s not the guy a playoff team would want as its starting point guard, but Indiana is nowhere near that conversation anymore.
Collison will come in and quietly fill his role, hopefully setting up Myles Turner to be “the guy” from day one. As the Pacers position themselves for tanking and top draft picks, having an established veteran for the next two years makes for an effective stopgap.
Bourguet Grade: B