Los Angeles instead of Indiana: Basketball world champion Daniel Theis is apparently about to change within the NBA. As US media consistently report, the center will terminate his contract with the Pacers and then sign with the Clippers. His club has already said goodbye to the national player with a “Thank you” on the X platform.
Theis was sent to Indiana by the Boston Celtics last summer as part of a player swap, but he was unable to gain a foothold there due to knee surgery in November 2022. In the current season, Theis only made one short appearance of eight minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks (126:124). The 31-year-old was absent from Tuesday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers (132:126) “for personal reasons”, even though he traveled with the team to the away game.
A possible change makes sense not only for the “big man”, but also for the two clubs: While Indiana is increasingly relying on young players, the Clippers are looking for a replacement for their injured backup center Mason Plumlee.
However, if Theis were to play for the Clippers in the future, he would have to accept a significantly lower salary: The center is earning $9.1 million (around €8.4 million) for the Pacers in the current season, and there is also a club option for another year , which would net him an additional $9.5 million. In Los Angeles, however, Theis could only sign for the minimum salary – but that would still be a good two million US dollars.
