Report: Pacers have waived Kevin Seraphin

The double-plodder lineups are now officially a thing of the past, as The Vertical’s Shams Charania reports that the Indiana Pacers have waived Kevin Seraphin.

Seraphin, who averaged 4.7 points on 55.1 percent shooting to go along with 2.9 rebounds last season, was a defensive liability at power forward when (strangely) paired beside paint-bound bigs Lavoy Allen and Al Jefferson.

However, as his social media accounts often reflected, he and Lance Stephenson were particularly synergistic to close the season next to interchangeable forwards. Over the final six games, when those two were joined by Aaron Brooks, Paul George, and C.J. Miles, that particular lineup outscored opponents by a mammoth 25.5 points per 100 possessions over the last six games of the regular season.

Still, the transition to center wasn’t completely seamless for Seraphin’s stocky frame, even with the prodigal point wing running the show. Especially not when opponents went ultra-small. The 27-year-old’s bulky body didn’t offer much in the way of mobility against opposing stretch shooters, which meant that expecting him to force the side pick and roll action to the sideline before recovering to his man behind the arc was often dicey.

Seraphin’s $1.9 million salary was fully non-guaranteed until August 1. Opting to waive him ahead of that deadline might be a precursor to another move, or it could be an indicator that the Pacers are counting on either Al Jefferson to shape up or Domantas Sabonis to transition to small-ball five.