A year ago at this time, Rodney Stuckey was looking for a change. No, he needed it. He had played in Detroit his first seven years for the Pistons, who drafted him 15th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft.
He reached the Eastern Conference Finals his rookie year, the playoffs in his second but then missed out on postseason play the next five seasons. Bad blood, coaching changes, player trades, and false rumors behind the scenes.
Enough was enough.
His contract was up but his reputation around the league was poor. As a result, teams were looking into him but more often than not they weren’t following through. That’s one of the main reasons coming to the Pacers appealed to Stuckey, in addition to having the opportunity to play on a contending team.
Stuckey was a solid role player last year, doing whatever coach Vogel asked of him.
“Growing up I didn’t have money so money is not really an issue to me,” Stuckey said last summer of his dirt-cheap minimum deal that paid him just over $1 million. “It’s pretty much just starting over and being on a great team, being with a great organization, and that’s what I was looking for.”
The only thing Stuckey didn’t get was to play beside a healthy Paul George and to reach the postseason. (Pacers players missed 219 games combined, 11 of which Stuckey accounted for due to a foot, calf, and groin injury.)
Stuckey produced in his first season with the Pacers, averaging 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 71 games (36 starts). He even led the scoring for much of the season, but finished third behind George Hill and C.J. Miles. In late February Stuckey went to coach Frank Vogel and asked to come off the bench, a gesture rarely seen in today’s basketball culture.
Stuckey was more comfortable in that role and with that bunch, and the team went on a mini spurt.
At 12:01 p.m. ET on July 1, though, a new NBA fiscal year begins and Stuckey is an unrestricted free agent. He’d like to be back and the Pacers want to bring him back. It’s about finding a deal that both sides can agree to.
“I think we can get Rodney done,” Pacers President Larry Bird said after the season. “I think it’s important for us to get him back here. But we’ll see what happens. I know he liked it here. He’s a real professional. He does all of his work. He’s in here all the time. He lifts after every game. We need guys like Rodney. He was a major plus for our franchise.”
Such a strong statement from Bird, combined with his performance last season, has went a long way in boosting his previously stained reputation. Stuckey is a go-about-your business type of player. He focuses on his job and tries to limit the outside noise, hence he’s not on any social media platforms.
In addition to the Pacers, another half-dozen teams have expressed interest in Stuckey’s services. (The majority of those teams are in the Western Conference.)
What’s it going to take to sign the 6-foot-5 combo guard? Probably something similar to other players around the league in the sixth man role. Lou Williams, last year’s Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, earned $5.45 million in Toronto. Jamal Crawford made the same in Los Angeles with the Clippers.
A two-year deal with a player option in year two would work. Stuckey is also open to signing a long-term deal if the number was close to their thinking and took into consideration the salary cap shooting up next offseason.
Stuckey is currently home in Seattle with his fiancée, Heidi. His wedding is in two weeks and so he would like to have his contract situation handled so he can turn his attention back to his family.
The Pacers want to play smaller and at a quicker pace next season, which suits Stuckey’s game. He’s strong, aggressive, likes to push the ball and get to the line.
In concert with that, Stuckey’s offseason priorities include improving his shot (42 percent during the 2014-15 season), increasing his flexibility and quickness, and slimming up. The conversation to do this goes back to early spring.
Stuckey is due for a pay raise after playing one year at the league minimum.
While the Final Four was in town last April, Stuckey was out to eat with his agent, Paolo Zamorano, and Rachi Wortham, a friend from Eastern Washington who is currently the Director of Player Personnel for Oregon State basketball. Over dinner at Yard House in downtown Indianapolis, Stuckey shared his desire to take better care of his body and to get leaner.
Wortham told him, “You look good but you can be even more explosive and even quicker.”
At 29 and heading into his ninth season in the league, Stuckey understands that taking advantage of the little things like Yoga, lifting, and eating healthy will help as he moves into his 30s next April.
“He’s focused,” said Zamorano. “He’s more focused than I have ever seen him. If he comes back to Indiana, I think he’s going to be even better than he was last year.”
Just over a week ago, Stuckey was back in Indy for a charity event with Dayspring Indy, which focuses on helping homeless families. If Stuckey does re-up with the Blue & Gold, he plans to take a larger role in the community and with charities. As a child, Stuckey bounced around homes and he felt this was a great organization with which to have a relationship.
With the salary cap for next year expected to be a touch over $67 million, the Pacers should have about $11 million to spend in free agency. The team have eight players locked in — Paul George, Roy Hibbert, George Hill, C.J. Miles, Ian Mahinmi, Solomon Hill, Damjan Rudež, and first-round pick Myles Turner — and can have a maximum of 15 players on roster.
[Roy Hibbert opted in, David West silently moves on]
The Pacers helped rejuvenate Stuckey’s career but he’s also deserving of a pay raise. Scoring was an issue for the team last year and he’s their primary attacker. He’s a guy the Pacers could afford to lose, but they should make every effort not to.
“When he finds something where he’s comfortable and he’s stable, he’s good with that,” Zamorano, his agent, said. “In Indiana he found that. Now it’s just a matter of, OK the Pacers told everybody that they want him back, they have the money now so it shouldn’t be a problem.”