The Pacers could be looking to add a point guard.
Indiana has made Ricky Rubio a “top target” this offseason, according to a report from The Ringer, which cites unidentified league sources. The 28-year-old is set to be an unrestricted free agent.
Rubio averaged 12.7 points and 6.1 assists in 68 games with the Jazz in 2018-19. He shot 40.4% from the field and 31.1% from 3-point range.
“(Utah has) let me know that I am not priority No. 1," Rubio told Catalunya Ràdio, a Spanish public radio network, earlier this month.
Rubio spent the first six seasons of his career with the Timberwolves before he was traded to Utah in June 2017 in exchange for a first-round pick.
“Now that the season is over, I can start thinking and see where I want to go, where I can go,” Rubio told reporters in April. “But one thing I’m going to look (at) for sure is the best situation for me, with the coach and the team. … I want to be happy. I’m going to try to find the best situation for me to perform and be happy.
"A lot of friends have asked me, 'Yo, where are you going to play next year? Can I come visit?' I don't have any idea where I'm going to go. A lot of things depend.”
Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey did not rule out Rubio returning to the team when he met with reporters after 2018-19.
“There’s a lot of scenarios I could see Ricky back. We really appreciate who he is, we think we can get him better from a health/performance standpoint, from a skill standpoint,” Lindsey said at the time. “We know who he is, and we know he has Jazz DNA. He’ll have options, we’ll have options, and we’ll talk to he and his agent.
“I’m really, really pleased with the level of professionalism, care factor, level of competitor that Ricky is. So, there’s definitely potential for it to go forward.”
The Pacers, meanwhile, finished the season with a 48-34 record and were swept by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Guards Darren Collison and Cory Joseph are both set to be free agents this summer, as well.
