NBA Rumors: Ideal landing spots for the 8 best remaining free agents
By Colin Cann
Joe Johnson
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers were a pleasant surprise last year. After being pegged as a lottery bound team before the season began, they went on to become the 5th seed and took LeBron James and the Cavaliers to 7 games in the opening round of the playoffs.
The breakout year for Victor Oladipo along with the departure of LeBron James from the Eastern Conference has the Pacers thinking about a deep playoff run. Indy has already signed veterans Tyreke Evans fresh off a bounce back season and solid big man Kyle O’Quinn. They could still use a mentor like Johnson, though.
A 7-time all star who has been to the playoffs 13 times in his 17-year career. Joe Jesus won’t be glued to the bench either, they could use his shot creation from the second unit. He had a down year shooting the ball last season splitting time between the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets, but as a 37 percent 3-point shooter over his career don’t expect that to be the new normal for him.
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Johnson should still have use as a player, but if it turns out father time has won another battle, his role as a mentor on a team without a single player over the age of 30 will be well worth the veterans minimum.