Pacers agree with Al Jefferson on 3-year, $30M

At 31 years old, Jefferson is limited in his effectiveness as a low post player, especially with the league moving towards smaller, faster lineups.

The Pacers have already added point guard Jeff Teague and forward Thaddeus Young via trades to bring some of that quickness and versatility that the modern game demands. He averaged 12.0 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Hornets this past season and was suspended in December for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Not bad for $30 million.

Los Angeles Lakers sign C Timofey Mozgov – four years, $64 million.

Orlando Magic re-sign F Evan Fournier – five years, $85 million.

Al Jefferson has agreed in principle to a three-year, $30M deal with in, league source tells @TheVertical.

The market for coveted free agent centers is already dwindling as Hassan Whiteside re-signed with the Miami Heat and Dwight Howard reached a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

In essence, this makes the Jefferson deal look like a complete steal given his ability to produce and the Pacers having a proven talent opposed to some of the names mentioned above.

This contract isn’t so much a win for the Pacers as it is a loss for Jefferson.

Though he might not be as agile as before, his 12-year experience and presence inside the paint can still be effective when his team would need him the most. We’ll just have to wait and see. With Charlotte’s offensive efficiency picking up considerably under its new spread style, Jefferson was no longer the franchise’s top priority.