Tyreke

Evans

The Warriors were hosting a free agent mini camp which included Justin Tillman and Louis King from the G League. Evans worked out for the Bucks previously and is looking to get back on an NBA roster with his two-year suspension behind him.

It’s plausible that Evans will earn a deal with a contending team, despite not having played in the NBA since 2019 due to a two-year suspension for substance abuse violations. Even if he does complete his comeback this year, though, he’d be little more than a fantasy streaming option during ‘silly season’ in April. To update, Evans has also reportedly worked out with the Nets, giving him yet another chance to have a spot in the league in this coming season.

Evans received a two-year ban back in 2019 for violating the league’s substance abuse program, but now the 32-year-old veteran and former Rookie of the Year will again be able to audition for some NBA clubs. Perhaps he’ll be able to ink a 10-day deal somewhere, but for now, he can safely remain on the waiver wire in all formats.

This directly impacts a player like Tyreke Evans, who was recently disqualified from the NBA for violating the league’s substance abuse program. Evans and other players in similar situations will have to look elsewhere for an opportunity to play again.

He won’t be able to play in the NBA for two years, and then can apply for reinstatement. Evans will be 31 years old when he could apply to return and would have been headed to free agency this summer, but now he’ll have to focus on getting his life back on track after testing positive for a “drug of abuse.” Chris Andersen had been dismissed from the NBA in 2006, but he was reinstated in 2008. O.J. Mayo was also disqualified in 2016, and has been out of the league since.

After a phenomenal bounce-back season with the Grizzlies in 2017-18, Evans inked a one-year deal with the Pacers. However, his numbers dropped dramatically in Indiana, as he averaged just 10.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists. “The playing situation was just a little different,” said Evans. “Not how I expected it to be. I feel like I was forcing a lot when I came in.” Part of the reason for his decline in production was his nagging right knee issues, which had three procedures during a nine-month span back in 2015-16.

Evans was quiet through the first two games of the series, and while he was much better in Games 3 and 4, it just wasn’t enough to get Indiana over the edge. On the year as a whole, Evans was fairly terrible, hitting career-lows across the board, so he probably won’t generate a ton of interest as a free agent this summer.

The Pacers are in deep trouble with an 0-3 hole, and teams are 0-132 when it comes to overcoming that deficit in NBA history. Once again, their offense failed them with just 12 points in the third quarter and they just don’t have enough scoring punch as teams lock in for the postseason. Evans took advantage of a size edge in the second unit, and he saw some time late in this game. Maybe coach Nate McMillan goes with Evans at the one to give them more size, and he could be a DFS option either way.

The Pacers have adopted a mob mentality on offense without Victor Oladipo, but they still need playmakers on the court. Holiday is a potential catalyst off the bench and he was part of a very small unit in the first half, joining Cory Joseph (six points in 21 minutes) and Tyreke Evans (13 point, seven rebounds in 19 minutes) for an extended stretch. He didn’t crack the rotation in the second half, though, so he’s unlikely to be more than a situational option for coach Nate McMillan.

Joseph added two 3-pointers, two rebounds and one assist in his 23 turnover-less minutes off the bench, and through most of the game, he was the only Pacer player with double figures in the scoring department. Tyreke Evans hit 3-of-11 shots on his way to eight points, six rebounds, one 3-pointer, one assist, one block and one turnover across 17 minutes with the second unit.