Pacers, T.J. McConnell Agree to Four-Year, $45M Extension

The Indiana Pacers and reserve guard T.J. McConnell have agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension that takes him through the 2028-29 season, Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of Priority Sports announced on Friday.

McConnell, 32, had been under contract for $9.3 million for the 2024-25 season and now is tied to the Pacers for five years and $54 million. He’s the 13th player to sign a veteran extension since the 2023-24 regular season ended.

McConnell becomes the 13th player to sign a veteran extension (not super max) since the regular season ended.

– Steph Curry
– Lauri Markkanen
– Jarrett Allen
– Andrew Nembhard
– Sam Hauser
– Jalen Brunson
– Donovan Mitchell
– Derrick White
– Bam Adebayo
– Jonathan Isaac
-… https://t.co/lxBD8VTAk7

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 30, 2024

Through 627 career NBA regular-season games (96 starts) across nine seasons, McConnell has averaged 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 21.5 minutes per contest.

In the 2023-24 season, he averaged a career-high 10.2 points per game while shooting 55.6% from the floor, 40.9% from 3-point range, and 79% at the free throw line.

His player efficiency rating (20.9) and usage percentage (23.7%) were also career bests. McConnell was seventh in voting for the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell averaged playoff career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and minutes played last season

More importantly, he played an instrumental role in Indiana’s run to the Eastern Conference finals this past season, averaging career highs in points (11.8), rebounds (3.1), assists (5.1), and minutes (20.5) across 17 games off the bench.

McConnell joined Hall of Famer Michael Cooper as the only players to average 10 points and five assists off the bench in a single postseason (minimum of 10 games), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

According to the Basketball-Reference database, he ranked second in total assists off the bench (364) in the NBA last season, trailing only the Sacramento Kings’ Malik Monk (370).

How the TJ McConnell extension impacts Indiana next summer: pic.twitter.com/ZLYVNrBbAj

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) August 30, 2024

In Indiana’s 117-105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on March 3, 2024, he recorded a season-high 26 points on 13-of-15 (86.7%) shooting from the field in 26 minutes as a reserve.

Of course, McConnell’s extension adds to Indiana’s list of returning role players, after the franchise had already secured its other standouts on long-term contracts, including Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Obi Toppin.

McConnell completed his fifth season with the Pacers after entering the NBA as an undrafted player and playing his first four seasons (2015-19) with the Philadelphia 76ers.