Former Indiana Pacers center Jalen Smith to sign with Chicago Bulls, per report

Smith has been with the Pacers since 2022

Mar 27, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Jalen Smith (25) shoots over Chicago Bulls forward Torrey Craig (13) during the first quarter at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Former Indiana Pacers center Jalen Smith has agreed to sign with the Chicago Bulls, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Smith, who turned 24 in March, was a lottery pick in 2020 that took off with the Pacers. He was originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns but rarely contributed for the then-contending group. In the middle of his second season, he was dealt to Indiana.

There, he found footing. The Virginia native started to knock down outside shots and showed off some positional versatility for the Pacers, and he re-signed with the blue and gold in 2022-23. In a rebuilding environment, Smith proved to be valuable.

Last season, he was on fire from deep for months. He made 42.4% of his outside shots and averaged nearly 10 points per game. His rebounding has always been solid, too, so there was a role for him almost every night.

In the postseason, that changed. Isaiah Jackson, who had been filling in well for Smith when called upon, took over the backup center job in the playoffs for Indiana. That, plus the fact that Smith had a chance to earn more elsewhere, led Smith to opt out of his player option with the Pacers for the 2024-25 season over the weekend, as Pacers on SI reported.

That player option was for $5.4 million. According to Wojnarowski, Smith's deal with the Bulls will be for three years and $27 million. The young center got a big raise, and his role is much more obvious in Chicago.

"He can shoot, he can make stuff down low, he can roll. I think his thing is just getting that dose of confidence," Pacers starting center Myles Turner said of Smith last season.

Smith averaged 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game across 2.5 seasons with the Pacers. Indiana couldn't afford to keep him on the deal he got with the Bulls unless they were willing to pay the luxury tax (without making other moves), so it's no surprise this is the end of the Smith-Pacers relationship.

Depending on what happens with the newly-drafted Johnny Furphy, Indiana has 12-13 players under contract or that have agreed to deals for the 2024-25 season.

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