Lavoy Allen will be back with the Pacers next season.
The 25-year-old has agreed to a deal that will keep him in Indianapolis for at least another year, a league source confirmed to VigilantSports.com. Deals cannot be signed until July 10th.
(Lavoy Allen drives around Charlotte’s Al Jefferson.)
Terms of the deal have not yet been revealed. Allen made $3.06 million last season. ESPN’s Chris Broussard first reported that an agreement was in place.
The unrestricted free agent was in Indianapolis much of last week for rookie/free agent camp. Though unsure about his future, as the Pacers did not make him a qualifying offer by the June 30th deadline, he made it clear that his preference was to remain a Pacer.
“I know guys in the front office really liked me so I made the decision to come to training camp,” he said on Tuesday.
Pacers President Larry Bird liked what he saw in Allen, who came over in the trade-deadline deal that brought Evan Turner over from Philadelphia. Contrary to popular belief, Allen was not just a throw in.
“He’s a pretty good player,” Bird said simply of Allen on draft night. “I like him.”
He first heard of this public praise from his boss Tuesday while at camp.
“It’s great that he mentioned me and I’m excited to play here,” he said in response. “Hopefully I’m back here next season.”
Allen was told by Bird at his exit interview that he really liked him and that he had “pretty good aggressiveness, rebounding and good defense.”
The 6-foot-9 center received little playing time last season partly because he didn’t join the team in February, but also because of the talent ahead of him.
“When we first got traded, they were the number one team,” he recalled. “If it’s not broke, why fix it? I knew there weren’t many opportunities but I stayed ready.”
His mid-season arrival to the team was the primary reason he took part in camp this past week. He admitted that it is all “still kind of new,” and the week of two-a-days was almost like his training camp to some extent. Being in Indy allowed him extra time to be around the coaching staff and to grasp the system.
Allen played in just 14 games as a Pacer, and averaged 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. His best showing was at his homecoming in Philly, when he was perfect from the floor (6-for-6) and finished with 13 points in a 18 minutes of work. In the final game of the season, at Orlando, he recorded a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds).
Regardless of what happened, Allen, who was selected 50th in the 2011 draft by Philadelphia, was just appreciative of where he was.
“I’m just happy to play in the NBA,” he said. “Just blessed. Not many people get this opportunity. I don’t care what team I’m on but I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Allen is planning to get married in August.
The Pacers now have 11 players with guaranteed contracts for next season, including additions C.J. Miles and Damjan Rudez. Luis Scola, Donald Sloan, and Shayne Whittington, whose contracts are not guaranteed, push the Pacers’ roster count to 14. Now, they continue to wait on Lance Stephenson.