The Indiana Pacers and reserve guard TJ McConnell have agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension that will carry him through the 2028-29 season, Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of Priority Sports reported Friday.
McConnell, 32, had a $9.3 million contract through the 2024-25 season and is now tied to the Pacers for five years and $54 million. He is the 13th player to sign a veteran extension since the end of the 2023-24 regular season.
McConnell becomes the 13th player to sign a veteran extension (not a super max) since the end of the regular season.
– Steph Curry
– Lauri Markkanen
– Jarrett Allen
– Andrew Nembhard
– Sam Hauser
– Jalen Brunson
– Donovan Mitchell
– Derrick White
– Bam Adebayo
– Jonathan Isaac
-…– Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 30, 2024
In 627 regular season NBA games (96 starts) over nine seasons, McConnell averaged 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 21.5 minutes per contest.
In the 2023-24 season, he averaged a career-high 10.2 points per game while shooting 55.6% from the floor, 40.9% from 3-point range, and 79% from the free throw line.
His field goal percentage (20.9) and field goal percentage (23.7%) were also career bests. McConnell was seventh in voting for the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man Award.
Indiana Pacers guard TJ McConnell averaged career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and minutes played last season.
More importantly, he was instrumental in Indiana's run to the Eastern Conference finals this past season, averaging career highs in points (11.8), rebounds (3.1), assists (5.1), and minutes (20.5) in all 17 games. on the bench. .
McConnell joined Hall of Famer Michael Cooper as the only players to average 10 points and five assists off the bench in a season (minimum 10 games), according to ESPN Stats & Information.
According to the Basketball-Reference database, he ranked second in total assists (364) in the NBA last season, behind only Malik Monk (370) of the Sacramento Kings.
How the TJ McConnell extension affects Indiana next summer: pic.twitter.com/ZLYVNrBbAj
– Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 30, 2024
In Indiana's 117–105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on March 3, 2024, he recorded a season-high 26 points on 13-of-15 shooting (86.7%) from the field in 26 minutes as a reserve.
Of course, McConnell's extension adds to Indiana's list of returning contributors, after the franchise already secured other standouts to long-term contracts, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Obi Toppin.
McConnell finished his fifth season with the Pacers after entering the NBA as an undrafted player and playing his first four seasons (2015-19) with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Source link
