Will Barton, Doug McDermott, Joe Harris Rumored to Be Pacers Targets in FA
The Indiana Pacers reportedly have interest in pursuing Will Barton, Doug McDermott and Joe Harris in free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski specifically mentioned Barton as a "strong focus" for Indiana and cited the team's need for perimeter help.
Previously, Wojnarowski reported there was "strong momentum" in terms of Barton and the Denver Nuggets potentially agreeing to a deal when the free-agent negotiation period opens Sunday.
The 27-year-old Barton is coming off his best NBA season, as he averaged a career-high 15.7 points and 4.1 assists, along with 5.0 rebounds, with the Nuggets in 2017-18.
He also shot a career-best 45.2 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from three-point range.
The 6'6" guard had primarily been a reserve throughout his NBA career, but he started 40 of the 81 games he appeared in last season.
Barton finished fourth in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Per Bob Kravitz of WTHR, the Pacers are in line to have roughly $20 million in salary-cap space to use in free agency.
Indiana looks like a team on the rise, as it finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Guard Victor Oladipo developed into an All-Star, while young players such as Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis continue to make strides.
Signing Barton would give the Pacers a strong five-guard rotation that also includes Oladipo, Darren Collison, Cory Joseph and 2018 first-round pick Aaron Holiday.
Indiana could also benefit from adding McDermott or Harris since they are proficient at knocking down three-pointers.
The 6'8" McDermott averaged 7.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6 percent from long range last season split between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
Harris had a career year with the Brooklyn Nets, as he put up 10.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest while making 41.9 percent of his three-point attempts.
Both McDermott and Harris would add some much-needed shooting to Indiana's overall rotation, but Barton is the type of signing that could make the Pacers true threats in the Eastern Conference next season.
