2017 NBA free agency grades: Pacers will sign Bojan Bogdanovic

The Indiana Pacers continue to make moves this offseason, this time in free agency by agreeing to sign Bojan Bogdanovic.

Forward Bojan Bogdanovic didn’t spend much time on the free agency market before agreeing to a deal with the Indiana Pacers. Bogdanovic signed a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers worth $21 million. He originally drew interest from the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.

The Nuggets looked to be too cash-strapped for Bogdanovic after signing Paul Millsap to a three-year, $90 million deal. The Kings had money available but they didn’t make an offer before the Pacers took their opportunity.

The Hawks continue to remain relatively quiet in the free agency period. They have only re-signed Mike Muscala to a two-year, $10 million deal with a player option on the second year.

The deal for Bogdanovic is well below his reported asking price of $16 million per year for 3-4 seasons. On a two-year deal, both sides have some wiggle room if things don’t work out in the end.

After the Brooklyn Nets offered Otto Porter Jr. a four-year max deal, it became evident that the Wizards would be unable to sign both Porter and Bogdanovic to their roster. So in turn, the Wizards withdrew their qualifying offer for Bogdanovic on July 7 making him an unrestricted free agent.

The fourth-year forward wasted no time finding a new squad to play with. Within minutes of his qualifying offer being officially pulled by the Wizards, it was announced that Bojan Bogdanovic would sign with Indiana.

The Pacers are a franchise that looks to be in rebuild mode after trading superstar forward Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

Reworking the roster

The Indiana Pacers agreed to sign unrestricted free agent point guard Darren Collison to a two-year, $20 million deal on July 7. Collison returns to Indiana after playing for them during the 2010-12 seasons. He averaged 13.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game with the Sacramento Kings last season.

The Pacers organization also waived guard Monta Ellis and forward Rakeem Christmas. Ellis had two years remaining on the four-year, $44 million deal he signed back in 2015. The Pacers will use the stretch provision to pay the remaining $11.2 million over the next five seasons.

Bogdanovic adds some much needed three-point shooting to a roster in desperate need of offense. He averaged 14.2 points in 44 games with the Nets and 12.7 points in 26 games with the Wizards last season.

After his short stint with the Wizards (39 games including the playoffs), he’ll have an opportunity to play a bigger role with the Pacers on a two-year deal.

The team will also look to center Myles Turner to lead the way for the organization. Turner is entering his third year in the NBA after averaging 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.3 assists per game in 2016-17.

The Indiana Pacers also drafted two versatile forwards in the 2017 NBA Draft by selecting T.J. Leaf with the 18th overall pick and Ike Anigbogu with the 47th overall pick. Both players were freshman with the UCLA Bruins last season.

The new-look Pacers should be an interesting team to watch in the 2017-18 season. Signing Bojan Bogdanovic could come in handy for them in the long run.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

Bogdanovic can be a reliable option on offense, whether as a starter or off the bench. He started 54 games last season with the Nets.

Grade: B