Browsing: Pacers

Nov 15, 2025, 07:56 PM ET

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said that Aaron Nesmith will miss at least a month with a left knee injury.

The forward was hurt in the Pacers’ loss at Phoenix on Thursday.

“It’s likely going to be at least four weeks,” Carlisle said before Saturday’s home game against Toronto. “Talk to me on [December] the 15th. But it’s very good news — very, very good news. He’s not in a brace. He’s walking. I say it’s likely going to be four weeks. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be less. It’s unclear at this time. But he’s doing very well, and the news was very, very good.”

The Pacers are already without six players. All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Forward Bennedict Mathurin scored 31 points in two games before being sidelined by a toe injury. Shooting guard Andrew Nembhard just returned after missing six games with a shoulder injury.

Top reserve Obi Toppin was averaging 14 points in three games before going down with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Nesmith was averaging a career-best 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 11 games. He scored a career-high 31 points in the Pacers’ only win against Golden State on Nov. 1. The Pacers began the night 1-11.

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  Jamal CollierNov 6, 2025, 04:19 PM ET

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  Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota’s iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.

The Indiana Pacers are waiving guard Mac McClung and will sign veteran Monte Morris in his place, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.

McClung, the reigning three-time NBA slam dunk contest champion, signed a two-year deal with the Pacers last week, his first standard contract in the league after inking two-way and camp deals since 2021.

The 26-year-old averaged 6.3 points in 11.3 minutes in three games with the team.

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The Pacers will incur a $164,060 salary cap hit this season after releasing McClung, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The second year of McClung’s deal was not guaranteed.

In Morris, 30, the Pacers will bring on a more veteran guard to help with the run of injuries that has decimated their rotation this season.

Indiana had eight players sidelined for Wednesday’s 112-103 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, which dropped it to 1-7. The list included Tyrese Haliburton (out for season, torn Achilles), Obi Toppin (out until at least February, stress fracture in his foot), T.J. McConnell (yet to play this season, hamstring strain), Bennedict Mathurin (week-to-week, big toe injury) and Andrew Nembhard (out since season opener, shoulder injury) from the Pacers’ regular rotation, as well as reserves who had been filling in: Kam Jones (back), Johnny Furphy (ankle) and Quenton Jackson (hamstring).

Morris, an eight-year NBA veteran, played in 45 games for the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25, averaging 5.2 points, 1.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds on 42.6% shooting.

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How hard have injuries hit the Pacers this season? Weâ€re not even 10 games into the season, and today Indiana made its fourth roster move to try to plug the holes left by all the players out with injuries.

The latest move is to waive recently signed guard Mac McClung and replace him on the roster with veteran Monte Morris, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPNand confirmed by other reports.

Indiana had considered bringing in Morris to training camp, but he was dealing with a calf strain that was likely to keep him out most or all of camp, so the Pacers pivoted. Now, Morris is healthy, Indiana is even more desperate for help at the point, and the two are finally getting together. Morris, 30, is an eight-year NBA veteran who spent last season in Phoenix, averaging 5.2 points a night across 45 games (and less than 13 minutes per game).

This is unfortunate for McClung, the three-time Dunk Contest champion and former G-League MVP, who had signed a multi-year but non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers. He is now a free agent.

Indianaâ€s guard depth has been decimated by injuries this season: Tyrese Haliburton (out for season, torn Achilles), Bennedict Mathurin (foot), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), and T.J.McConnell (hamstring) are all out right now. (Thatâ€s not to mention frontcourt players Obi Toppin, Johnny Furphy and Kam Jones.)

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Less than two weeks after signing his first full NBA deal with the Indiana Pacers, Mac McClung is reportedly without a team again. The three-time NBA dunk contest winner has reportedly been waived by the Pacers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.

The move comes 10 days after Indiana signed McClung to a multiyear deal, his first full deal in the league. McClung, who has played for five different NBA organizations, had previously only signed training camp contracts and two-way contracts.

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The Pacers signed McClung amid a series of injuries, including to star Tyrese Haliburton (who is out for the season with an Achilles injury) and guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell.

McClung played in three games for the Pacers — all losses — during his short tenure there, averaging 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals off the bench. McClung played 13 minutes and 19 minutes in the first two games, respectively, but only played 2 minutes in his final appearance, a brutal last-second loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.

McClung, who joined the league in 2021 after going undrafted, emerged from near obscurity in 2023 after winning the dunk contest. He won again in 2024 before becoming the first NBA player to three-peat with a win in 2025.

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Despite his dunk contest success, McClung has struggled to gain traction in the NBA. He has only played nine games in the league, spending most of his time in the G League over the past four years.

Prior to being waived, McClung told The Athletic this week he was emotional after signing the contract with Indiana.

“I got in my car, and I couldn’t help but get emotional. I was just like, man, it’s been five years trying to chase a contract. So it’s a really beautiful moment where I just thought about all the people who have been along with me for it,” McClung said.

Now, though, he will have to start over again.

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The latest round of one of the East’s most bitter rivalries goes to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Credit, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the first game between the Bucks and Pacers since Myles Turner defected for Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo sunk Indiana with a walk-off buzzer-beater for a 117-115 win Monday night.

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With the clock running under 10 seconds in a 115-115 game, Antetokounmpo faced up Pascal Siakam above the 3-point line. He shed Siakam on a screen and found himself guarded by the smaller Aaron Nesmith after a switch. Nesmith didn’t stand a chance.

Antetokounmpo backed him to the free-throw line, then pulled up for a turnaround jumper from the elbow. The shot was pure and sunk through the net as time expired, silencing the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd.

Just moments earlier, Nesmith had tied the game by beating Antetokounmpo to the bucket for a layup.

That bucket capped a rally from a 106-94 Bucks lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Antetokounmpo ensured that the Bucks would have the last laugh and the win.

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Antetokounmpo finished the night with 33 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while shooting 14 of 21 from the floor. It was another outstanding effort from the two-time MVP, who entered Monday’s game averaging an NBA-best 34.2 points alongside 13.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 68.4% from the field.

It’s MVP-level production, and it’s not empty stat-padding. With Monday’s win, the Bucks improved to 5-2 and are staking their claim as a contender in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

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  Jamal CollierNov 3, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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  Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota’s iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.

MYLES TURNER WALKED onto the baseball diamond and headed toward the pitcher’s mound. He was wearing a custom No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers jersey.

It was a sleepy Sunday on Sept. 28, the final day of MLB’s regular season, and the Brewers had already secured the best record in baseball. The crowd began to roar in anticipation as Milwaukee’s newest 7-footer headed toward the mound.

Turner hopped over the freshly painted first-base foul line and raised his hand to acknowledge the crowd, pumping his fist as it continued to cheer. On the mound, he made a brief sidestep for a windup and delivered the first pitch as the crowd continued its warm welcome.

Despite making several trips to the city during his decade playing for the Indiana Pacers, Turner had never seen much of Milwaukee, keeping mostly to his hotel room during road trips.

But ever since he signed a four-year, $107 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks in July, Turner has made a point to get out and see the city.

A few weeks after throwing out the first pitch, Turner joined a large group of Bucks players and staffers at the Game 5 of the National League Division Series.

“Ain’t nothing like baseball in October, baby!” Turner said in an Instagram story on MLB’s official page. “Let’s go Brewers.”

He’s also made a trip to Lambeau Field, even though he is a devout Dallas Cowboys fan. He’s gone to pick apples at Apple Holler, a beloved tradition among the locals. He’s spent time downtown sitting along Lake Michigan and walking around the Milwaukee Public Market.

“It’s a great Midwest city, man,” Turner told ESPN. “That Midwest nice. That culture here is real.”

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For a decade, Turner was a franchise cornerstone in Indiana, transforming from a first-round pick in 2015 into someone who had his own fan section, Turner’s Block, in the arena.

But he was also the subject of seemingly never-ending trade rumors, as he developed into one of the lynchpins of the team that made a run to the 2025 NBA Finals.

As the longest tenured Pacers player on last season’s team, Turner had been integral to the fabric of Indiana. When the team won the Eastern Conference championship, he addressed the home crowd with a heartfelt message during the trophy presentation.

“Woooo man, it’s been a long time coming, man,” Turner said in May. “I got to give a huge shoutout to the [Pacers owners] Simons [family] for never stopping believing in me.

“This front office, this organization is amazing. I’ve spent a third of my life here, it’s crazy. I’ve really grown up here with y’all.”

Two months later, it was over, a jarring end to a celebrated tenure that Turner admits he’s still grappling with.

Turner says he felt blindsided by the Pacers’ offer, leading him to join the Bucks, who aggressively went after him as a way to retool their team with a player they believed was a perfect fit next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee felt so strongly that they were willing to spend $113 million to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard to sign him.

So far, it’s worked for the Bucks, who through the first couple of weeks of the season land in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency and a record of 4-1. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 0-5, and their rotation from the Finals has been nearly decimated by injuries.

On Monday, Turner will return to Indiana for the first time in his career as a visiting player, when the Bucks face the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“I don’t know what to expect,” Turner said. “There’s going to be some cheers. There’s going to be some boos. It kind of just is what it is. For me personally, the biggest thing is obviously winning the basketball game, that’s paramount. But there’s going to be some mixed emotions.

“Still got some great people in the organization that I rock with. Obviously old teammates, it’s going to be a blend of emotions, for sure.”

Games between the Pacers and Bucks have had heightened intensity over the past few seasons, dating to an argument over a game ball in 2023. It continued at the first NBA Cup and then two straight meetings in the postseason, where Indiana has eliminated Milwaukee in back-to-back seasons.

Turner has felt the rivalry already. At Bucks media day, he added to it. “I’m in a city now that wants to celebrate me. There’s a great quote that says, ‘Go where you’re celebrated.’ I feel like that’s here.”

Two days later, amid backlash from Pacers fans, he clarified, posting, “This quote has nothing to do with Indy fans and everything to do with my free agency experience.”

This Quote Has NOTHING To Do With Indy Fans & EVERYTHING To Do With My Free Agency Experience https://t.co/eYsTnxPNWN

— Myles Turner (@Original_Turner) October 1, 2025

He found himself in the middle of it again earlier this week, when Turner appeared on Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s podcast, “Thanalysis.”

On it, Turner appeared to criticize Tyrese Haliburton as a “fake tough guy.” The clip went viral.

As it did, Turner once again had to clarify, posting the full video of the clip in context. When he was asked about this latest turn as the new centerpiece of the NBA’s newest, fiercest rivalry, Turner just shook his head in exasperation.

He’s tried to strike a balance between embracing and praising his new city and team, with the memories of his time in Indiana and the painful departure from the only NBA home he had ever known. “

“Ownership made a decision and I kind of had no choice but to roll with it,” Turner said. “The toughest part is we were just so close to accomplishing the ultimate goal. It just feels like they gave up.”

AFTER THE FINALS in June, Turner prepared for an offseason as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.

After spending a few days at home in Indianapolis, he planned to fly to Hawaii, presuming a new deal would get wrapped up with the Pacers.

He had gotten used to the trade rumors. The sharpness of the nearly annual uncertainty surrounding how the team felt about him had dulled. He had always found his way back.

But negotiations between Turner’s agent and the Pacers quickly began to stall. Indiana never extended an offer beyond $22 million annually for three years, sources told ESPN.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee was devising a way to create cap space by waiving Lillard’s remaining $113 million and stretching it over the next five years. It was an aggressive and unprecedented move for an NBA team, but one the Bucks were motivated to make to not waste a year of Antetokounmpo’s prime.

“[Indiana] made it very clear how they valued me,” Turner said. “And so did the Milwaukee Bucks.”

The Bucks then presented him with a four-year, $107 million offer — or about $27 million annually and included a player option for the final year of the contract.

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“I’ve always been told when I was in trade rumors, this is a business, this is a business, this is a business,” Turner said. “And that’s kind of what this decision was for me. It was a business decision. It’s unfortunate that it came at the time that it did, but it’s a $40 million difference at the end of the day.”

Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said he learned of Turner’s decision the same way the rest of the world did, on social media. He was shocked, he said. He believed negotiations were still ongoing.

“I know this: [Pacers owner] Herb Simon and [minority owner] Steven Rales and the Simon family were fully prepared to go deep into the tax to keep him,” Pritchard said in July. “And we really wanted to do that. We were negotiating in good faith. But what happens in this league is sometimes you’re negotiating, but because a guy is unrestricted, he has the right to say, ‘That’s the offer I want. I’m going to take it, and that’s best for my family.”

Pritchard also said he didn’t think negotiations with Turner would have gone any differently if Haliburton hadn’t torn an Achilles. He thought Indiana was near a number that Turner would have agreed to.

Turner did not see it that way.

“There were a lot of factors that went into the decision,” Turner said, “but Indiana made it very easy for me.”

For the better part of a decade, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner sat on opposite sides of a heated rivalry. Now that they’re teammates? “He’s about to change my life, man” Turner said of the two-time MVP. Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

A FEW MINUTES into Milwaukee’s opening night on Oct. 22 against the Washington Wizards, the Bucks got a glimpse of what they envisioned when they signed their new big man.

With 9:04 remaining, Antetokounmpo drove toward the basket, and The Wizards’ defense immediately collapsed around him, four players turning toward Antetokounmpo as he barreled downhill.

Then, Antetokounmpo stopped and saw help in the form of a 7-footer with a jumper in the corner, forcing second-year wing Alex Sarr to close out hard.

Turner pumped, got Sarr to jump and sailed past him toward the rim to throw down a tomahawk dunk.

“I’ve jumped many times in that pump fake because he’s capable of making a shot,” Antetokounmpo said. “Incredible play. I haven’t seen a play like that in a while from somebody with a Bucks jersey.”

Turner arrived in Milwaukee about a month before the start of training camp and worked out and scrimmaged with nearly the entire team, aside from Giannis and Thanasis, who were helping lead Greece to a Bronze medal finish at EuroBasket.

The extra time helped Turner learn the habits of his teammates and start developing relationships with the players who he had long opposed.

Still, aside from a few highlights, the on-court adjustment offensively has not been particularly seamless. He’s averaging 9.8 points on 39.3% shooting (34.4% from 3) and acknowledged he’s still figuring out his role within the offense.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers, for his part, is not concerned.

“The shot’s not going down right now,” River said, shrugging. “I don’t seem that concerned about it at all because I’m not. He’s doing a lot of stuff for us that helps us win. He’s a winner and there’s going to be nights where all the shots go in and he’s going to look great. There’s going to be nights … where he contributed in a huge way to his winning and it doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. We know it and that’s really all that matters.”

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What doesn’t show up in the stat sheet is the leadership hole he’s already filling with veterans Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton and Lillard gone.

“In the locker room, huddles, in practice,” Bucks guard AJ Green told ESPN, “he’s consistent in what we need to do out there, who we need to be, holding everybody to that standard and accountability, because he’s doing it himself.”

Teams around the league are mimicking some of the tentpoles of Indiana’s style, up-tempo, relentless pressure and spacing the floor with shooters. Watching Indiana’s run to the Finals last season using up-tempo, relentless pressure and floor spacing made young Bucks players eager to soak up tips from Turner.

But it’s Turner athleticism for a 7-footer that makes him a natural fit next to Antetokounmpo.

Despite his early struggles, his shooting ability spaces the floor and gives the Bucks far more offensive optionality. Last season, Turner made eight 3-pointers after setting a flare screen, an off-ball action designed to free up a shooter on the perimeter, according to ESPN Research, the most in the NBA. Lopez started 80 games for the Bucks in 2024-25 but made only one.

Still, Antetokounmpo expects the chemistry between the two to take time.

Early returns are promising.

Rivers has played Turner and Giannis 104 minutes together entering Thursday, the most of any two-man combo on the team. The Bucks have a net rating of plus-8.5 during that span.

“The combination is good,” Rivers said. “I think [Turner] does so many things that you don’t see in the naked eye. Giannis made a point talking about it to me yesterday, like how many times when Giannis is coming off a pick, he’s never had a big dive [toward the basket].”

The feeling is mutual.

After knocking down 5 of 8 3-pointers and scoring 19 points during the duo’s first preseason game, Turner was giddy in his praise for Antetokounmpo.

“He’s about to change my life, man,” Turner said of his new teammate. “I spent 10 years of my life doing the exact same thing. “It’s obviously an adjustment, but it’s hoops at the end of the day.”

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  Ohm YoungmisukOct 31, 2025, 06:43 PM ET

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  Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
  
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INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin will undergo surgery to repair a partial stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, the team announced Friday.

“Probably not recommend talking about this again until probably Feb. 1, [in] three months,” coach Rick Carlisle said before the Pacers played the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. “That’s his situation.”

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According to Carlisle, Toppin will have surgery Monday in New York to place a screw in his foot.

Toppin was limited to 17 minutes during last Sunday’s loss at Minnesota before exiting because of the injury. He was averaging 14 points and 6.7 rebounds.

The Pacers are decimated by injuries. Entering the season, Indiana already expected to be without point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is out for the season because of a torn Achilles, and backup T.J. McConnell, who was expected to miss the first month because of a left hamstring strain. But now Bennedict Mathurin is considered week-to-week because of a right big toe sprain, and fellow starting guard Andrew Nembhard left the team’s season opener because of a strained left shoulder. Also out against Atlanta on Friday were reserves Johnny Furphy (left foot bone bruise) and Kam Jones (lower back stress reaction).

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  Tim MacMahonOct 29, 2025, 09:59 PM ET

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  • Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
  • Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
  • Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM

DALLAS — Star power forward/center Anthony Davis exited Wednesday’s game in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers with what the Dallas Mavericks described as left lower leg soreness.

The team ruled Davis out at halftime.

Davis came up gingerly after scoring and signaled to the bench that he needed to exit the game. He crouched down on the sideline for several seconds when the Mavs called a timeout with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter and then headed to the locker room for further evaluation.

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Davis, 32, played in only nine regular-season games for Dallas last season after arriving as the centerpiece in the return package in the controversial Luka Doncic trade.

Davis was recovering from an abdominal injury at the time of the trade and strained his adductor in his Dallas debut. That adductor injury sidelined Davis for six weeks.

The Mavs entered Wednesday’s game without three key rotation players. Star guard Kyrie Irving has no timetable to return from a torn ACL suffered in March. Center Daniel Gafford has yet to play this season after spraining his ankle in the first practice of training camp, and center Dereck Lively II missed his second straight game because of a sprained knee.

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  Jamal CollierOct 28, 2025, 04:59 PM ET

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  Jamal Collier is an NBA reporter at ESPN. Collier covers the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and the Midwest region of the NBA, including stories such as Minnesota’s iconic jersey swap between Anthony Edwards and Justin Jefferson. He has been at ESPN since Sept. 2021 and previously covered the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune. You can reach out to Jamal on Twitter @JamalCollier or via email Jamal.Collier@espn.com.

The Indiana Pacers’ early-season injury woes continued to mount Tuesday when forward Obi Toppin and guard Bennedict Mathurin became the latest players dealing with long-term injuries.

Toppin will be out for at least a month with a right hamstring strain, and Mathurin is “week-to-week” with a right big toe sprain, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday. That brought Indiana’s total to eight players who are already listed as out on the injury report for Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Entering the season, Indiana already expected to be without point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles, and backup T.J. McConnell, who was expected to miss the first month with a left hamstring strain. But the team’s roster has been further decimated just one week into the season.

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Starting guard Andrew Nembhard left the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a strained left shoulder. Although he participated in a portion of Tuesday’s practice, Carlisle did not provide an update on his timeline for a return.

Mathurin and Toppin left during Sunday’s loss against the Timberwolves. Mathurin had been off to a strong start, averaging 31 points and seven rebounds on 55% shooting; Toppin was averaging 14 points and seven boards off the bench.

The Pacers also expect reserves Taelon Peter (groin), Johnny Furphy (foot) and Kam Jones (lower back) to miss Wednesday’s game. To help address the injuries at guard and wing, the Pacers signed three-time dunk contest champion guard Mac McClung on Monday and waived center James Wiseman.

The Pacers are off to their third 0-3 start in the past 11 seasons. They made the playoffs the two previous times, in 2015-16 and 2019-20.

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Aaron Nesmith was a key part of the Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals last season, and the team is rewarding him accordingly heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that Indiana agreed to a two-year, $40.4 million extension with the forward that keeps him with the team through the 2028-29 season. The deal includes a trade kicker and features the maximum amount of salary that was allowed with the extension.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks added more context:

Indiana acquired Nesmith via trade from the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2022-23 season, and he immediately played his way into the rotation after he was nothing more than a secondary contributor during his first two years in the league.

Across three seasons with the Pacers, he has averaged 11.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from deep.

His ability to stretch opposing defenses and connect from deep has been an ideal pairing with Tyrese Haliburton, who is always looking to facilitate and set his teammates up for good looks when opposing defenses collapse on his penetration.

Nesmith became something of a household name during the Pacers’ stunning run to the NBA Finals last season.Â

His biggest individual moment came during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals when he caught fire from beyond the arc and spearheaded a dramatic comeback win over the New York Knicks. He finished with 30 points on 8-of-9 shooting from three-point range and set the tone for a series in which he connected on 53.3 percent of his triples.

In addition to his shooting in the postseason, he played lockdown defense against multiple positions. His ability to stick with smaller ball-handlers or challenge bigger forwards on the wings allowed the Pacers to mix and match their lineups depending on the opponent in different rounds.

Nesmith figures to be even more important for the team in 2025-26 with Haliburton sidelined with an Achilles injury, and he will assume those additional responsibilities with a new contract extension in his pocket.

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