Daniel Theis agrees to buyout with Pacers, will sign with Clippers
The Indiana Pacers and big Daniel Theis have officially agreed to a contract buyout, according to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The news of a potential buyout was first reported by NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic, in addition to new it clearing a path for Theis to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.
ESPN Sources: Veteran center Daniel Theis has agreed on a contract buyout with the Indiana Pacers and now plans to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers assuming he clears waivers. Clippers recently lost backup C Mason Plumlee to a sprained MCL for several weeks. pic.twitter.com/m5y55TwQ9q
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 15, 2023
Daniel Theis and the Indiana Pacers are in serious talks on a contract buyout, which would clear the way for the veteran big man to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers pending a physical exam, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Clippers frontcourt depth could be arriving soon. pic.twitter.com/iiZ39wzUCr
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 15, 2023
The Pacers made the buyout news official Wednesday afternoon.
Theis was in the third year of a four-year, $35.6 million deal he signed ahead of the 2021-22 season. He was making $9.11 million this season and was due to make $9.5 million in 2023-24, according to Spotrac.
Charania noted the Clippers’ potential interest in Theis last week after it was announced that backup center Mason Plumlee would miss two months with an MCL sprain. While the official numbers have yet to be released, Theis’ deal with the Clippers is likely a one-year minimum, which is worth about $2.7 million (prorated down to roughly $2.3 million if he signs once he clears waivers Friday).
Theis, 31, has played in just one game with the Pacers this season, logging eight minutes with just two points on 1-of-4 shooting. After getting traded to Indiana in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to Boston in July of 2022, Theis played a grand total of eight games–yes, eight! (117 minutes)–with the team.
He totaled just 51 points, 22 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and six blocks on 2-of-12 shooting from 3-point range across two seasons with Indiana. He was never able to find much playing time in a crowded frontcourt that featured Myles Turner, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson, and became increasingly unhappy with his role.
“Obviously after a great summer, I’m not happy with the situation I’m in right now,” Theis told MassLive earlier this month. “I want to play and take all the good stuff from the summer into the season but it’s a long season. We are going to see what’s going on and what’s happening.”
Theis is coming off a strong FIBA World Cup campaign with Germany, who won the gold medal. In eight games, the 6-foot-8 big averaged 10.9 points and 5.4 rebounds on 59.4 percent shooting. Against Team USA in the semifinals, Theis tallied 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting, hauling down seven rebounds with a pair of assists, one block and one steal.
Perhaps Theis can be a net positive with a thinned-out Clippers frontcourt, who, for the most part, has been relying on 38-year-old P.J. Tucker as the backup 5 since the James Harden trade.
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