NBA Rumors: Tyreke Evans, Pacers to Meet, Has Been Linked to Warriors, Lakers
The Indiana Pacers and free-agent guard Tyreke Evans will reportedly meet Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski noted that while there is mutual interest, there is "still work to do" in terms of striking a deal.
Evans' brother told John Martin of 92.9 ESPN in Memphis, Tennessee, on Tuesday that Evans had meetings scheduled with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets as well.
After putting up career-worst numbers with the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in 2016-17, Evans bounced back in a big way last season.
In 52 games with the Memphis Grizzlies, the 28-year-old veteran averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and a career-best 39.9 percent from three-point range.
Bob Kravitz of WTHR reported at the start of free agency that the Pacers had roughly $20 million in cap space to play with.
Per Wojnarowski, Indiana and forward Doug McDermott agreed to a three-year deal worth $22 million, which should leave the Pacers with a little less than $13 million in space.
That means the Pacers can seemingly offer Evans a better deal than any of the teams rumored to have interest in him.
Indiana is an up-and-coming team, as it finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season and pushed the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Guard Victor Oladipo is an All-Star, while big men Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are rapidly developing as well.
With the Western Conference becoming even more stacked due to James' decision to sign with the Lakers, there is an easier path to success in the Eastern Conference as well.
Evans is versatile enough to play point guard, shooting guard and small forward, and his arrival would give the Pacers no shortage of lineup options.
With Oladipo, Darren Collison and Cory Joseph already in place, Evans would provide Indiana with a deep and talented backcourt to complement its strong interior game.
Evans is far removed from being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, but he continues to prove he can produce at a high level.
Although teams like the Warriors and Lakers would provide him with a better opportunity to win a championship in the near future, he would likely play a larger role with the Pacers and presumably make more money to boot.
