In the 2023-24 season, the Indiana Pacers went 47-35, finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference and narrowly avoiding the play-in tournament. During the postseason, the Pacers were lucky and faced a team that was hurting. Indiana made it to the conference finals but was swept by the Boston Celtics.
Despite losing the ECF, it was an impressive postseason for the Pacers. The 2023-24 season was a career-best for veteran PG TJ McConnell. His 2024-25 season will be his 10th professional season and sixth in Indiana. Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Pacers have signed McConnell to a four-year, $45 million extension. It’s a no-brainer for the 32-year-old.
TJ McConnell has signed a long-term extension with the Pacers.
Indiana Pacers guard TJ McConnell has signed a four-year, $45 million contract extension, Marc Bartelstein and Andy Schiffman announced on the 28th (local time). @PrioritySports The deal brings McConnell’s total contract to $54 million over five years, ESPN reports. pic.twitter.com/knBuakvOzt
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 30, 2024
In the 2015 NBA Draft, Arizona’s TJ McConnell went undrafted but ended up signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. McConnell played the first four seasons of his career in Philadelphia. He appeared in 314 games for the 76ers, starting 72 of them. In Philadelphia, McConnell averaged (6.4) points, (2.9) rebounds, (4.7) assists, and (1.3) steals per game. After four years with the 76ers, McConnell signed with the Pacers, where he has played the past five seasons. The savvy PG had a career-best offensive season in Indiana in 2023-24.
His points per game (10.2) were a career high. In addition, his points per game (11.8) in the 2024 playoffs were a career high for McConnell. He has been a spark for the Pacers offense off the bench all season. With the exception of the 2016-17 season, McConnell has spent most of his time in the NBA as a backup PG. He is comfortable in that role and has excelled in it. Tyrese Haliburton is an All-Star PG and TJ McConnell is a complementary player off the bench. After his strong 2023-24 season, the Pacers signed McConnell to a four-year, $45 million extension.
