We have a (salary clearing) trade! According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers are sending TJ Leaf and a second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 point guard Jalen Lecque and avoiding the luxury tax.
Per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Indiana was only $38,000 under the tax line before reaching agreement with JaKarr Sampson on a one-year, minimum deal this morning, thereby signaling that some sort of cost-cutting move was likely to be on the horizon in order to duck paying the penalty.