NBA Rumors: Indiana Pacers Signing Aaron Brooks
Roster depth is something that all NBA executives hope to build. According to CBS Sports, the Indiana Pacers are signing Aaron Brooks. The veteran point guard is expected to secure a one-year contract worth approximately $2.5 million. With years of experience, Brooks should provide a calming influence for the second unit.
For the past two seasons, Aaron Brooks has played for the Chicago Bulls. He provided backup minutes behind starting point guard Derrick Rose, who is now with the New York Knicks. Although Brooks played just 16 minutes a game, he was able to average 7.1 points and 2.6 assists. Those are pretty good numbers for a bench player.
Aaron Brooks received 21 starts for the Chicago Bulls last season. That was due to the fact that Derrick Rose simply cannot stay healthy enough to play an entire season.
Aaron Brooks joining Pacers. https://t.co/iBY2VPL3GC pic.twitter.com/I1oCD2iihy
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) July 18, 2016
Earlier in the summer, the Indiana Pacers made a trade with the Atlanta Hawks to acquire starting point guard Jeff Teague, as reported by ESPN. The Hawks have Dennis Schroder on the bench, and he has been campaigning to become a starter. Management opted to go with the younger Schroder, so the decision was made to send Teague to another NBA team.
While the starting positions are not set just yet, the belief is that Jeff Teague is going to be a starter for the Indiana Pacers. Team president Larry Bird wants to see if he can be the long-term solution for the team.
Monta Ellis is the starting shooting guard for the Indiana Pacers. While he is best known as one of the better scorers in the NBA, Ellis has enough versatility to shift over to the point guard position, which might cut into the playing time of Aaron Brooks.
On the bench, the Indiana Pacers have a quality guard in Rodney Stuckey. His natural position is shooting guard, but he has shown in the past that he is capable of handling minutes at the point guard position in the NBA, so that makes it another person that Aaron Brooks will have to compete with for playing time.
One person who Aaron Brooks will probably not need to compete with is Ty Lawson. The former Houston Rockets guard was signed by the Indiana Pacers last season, as reported by ESPN. Lawson failed to earn the trust of the Pacers coaching staff, so he will more than likely be seeking a new home in the NBA.
Aaron Brooks is a speedy point guard, so he makes a lot of sense for the Indiana Pacers. Larry Bird was so adamant about the team playing at a much higher tempo that he was willing to let a good head coach like Frank Vogel leave. He has been replaced by lead assistant Nate McMillan, a former point guard in the NBA.
Not being completely satisfied with how last season went, the Indiana Pacers set out this offseason to reload their roster. In addition to Aaron Brooks, the Pacers also have a new starting power forward in Thaddeus Young, who was arguably the second best player on the Brooklyn Nets roster behind Brook Lopez.
To provide more offensive firepower off the bench, the Indiana Pacers also went out in free agency and acquired the services of Al Jefferson, who has been one of the best low-post scorers in the NBA. Jefferson left the Charlotte Hornets because he was seeking a change of scenery.
Aaron Brooks is a solid role player in the NBA, and he should be able to help the Indiana Pacers fight for a spot in the playoffs.
[Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images]
