Just because the Indiana Pacers already have 15 players on their roster with guaranteed contracts doesn’t mean they are done retooling.
Late Thursday evening, 6-foot-10 power forward Kevin Seraphin reached agreement with the Pacers, a league source confirmed to VigilantSports.com. Shams Charania of The Vertical first reported an agreement was in place on a two-year deal worth $3.6 million. The first year is fully guaranteed and the Pacers hold a team option in year two.
Seraphin was in Indianapolis on Tuesday for a workout at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. He then returned to New York the following day.
https://twitter.com/kevin_seraphin/status/771780296186466306
Kevin Seraphin poses on the John Wooden statue on Georgia Street in downtown Indy.
Seraphin being added to the roster will require the Pacers to either waive or trade a player with next season’s money fully guaranteed. Remember, the Mavericks sent the Pacers $3.2 million in cash to take on Jeremy Evans — $1.2 million to pay his salary, plus another $2 million, per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
This signing shows that the Pacers are not content with their frontline. They have a strong first unit with Thad Young at the four and Myles Turner at the five, but then there is a drop off.
Al Jefferson will, in all likelihood, come in off the bench and Lavoy Allen received regular minutes last season. Rakeem Christmas, who spent his rookie season spent in the D-League, is still too raw.
Earlier this week, the Pacers signed rookie Alex Poythress and Julyan Stone. With the addition of Seraphin, (as of Thursday) the Pacers will bring 18 players to training camp, which opens on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
Hey #PacerNation, show some love to my man @kevin_seraphin, the new frenchman on the @Pacers ! He's a great guy, you're gonna love him!
— Ian Mahinmi (@ianmahinmi) September 2, 2016
Adding Seraphin, who’s 6-10, 278 pounds, gives the Pacers versatility and depth inside. Over his six-year career, he’s played spot minutes (15.7 per game) and averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Seraphin, 26, was drafted 17th overall by Chicago in the 2010 NBA Draft, the same draft as Paul George, and then he was sent to the Wizards along with Kirk Hinrich and cash.
According to Yann Ohnona of L’Equipe, FC Barcelona was trying to get Seraphin to sign with them.
Kévin Seraphin, toujours courtisé par Barcelone, est aux Etats-Unis pour un essai avec les Pacers d'Indiana #NBA
— Yann Ohnona (@yohnona) August 30, 2016