As much as the Indiana Pacers may have quietly hoped he wouldn't, all signs point to Roy Hibbert exercising his player option for the 2015-16 season.
Pacers president Larry Bird all but confirmed as much this week, saying that the organization fully expects Hibbert and frontcourt-mate David West to opt in for the coming year.
"They're going to opt in," Bird said.
Head coach Frank Vogel suggested at the end of the regular season that Hibbert's role may change, as the team would like to play uptempo on offense. Combined with rumblings last offseason that Indiana quietly tried to shop the 7-footer, the Pacers surely would have been amenable to Hibbert walking away from the option, which will see him earn $15.5 million next season.
In 76 games this season, Hibbert averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 44.6 percent - a woeful number for someone his size who takes more than 60 percent of his shots within 10 feet of the basket.
His shot-blocking rate was also at a five-year low, with Hibbert nearly ducking below five percent of opponent 2-point field goals blocked. That put him outside of the top-10, though opponents still only shot 42.6 percent at the rim with Hibbert defending. As a team, the Pacers were surprisingly better on defense with Hibbert on the bench, an anomaly relative to the past few seasons, when he was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
The 28-year-old opting in makes plenty of sense, as he'll eschew a lengthier deal on the open market in order to hit unrestricted free agency in 2016, when the salary cap is expected to balloon.
West's decision is even easier, as the 34-year-old's option is for $12.6 million, significantly more than he could command annually on the open market. He could opt out to look for a longer-term deal, but at his age and in an uncertain market, there's no guarantee it would pay him more than his option plus whatever he can command in 2016.
"The 17-foot Assassin" averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 66 games this season while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor.
Both players opting in would leave the Pacers with little salary cap wiggle room. That means Indiana will need to nail the No. 11 pick and their salary cap exceptions this summer, though they'll also get a huge boost from a healthy Paul George.
