top of page

2022 Free Agents - Joe Ingles

Summary
Ingles had quite the season in '20-'21, shooting 46% from three and finishing with an elite eFG% of 65.7%. Ingles has consistently been a high-level three point shooter, hitting 41% for his career, and over the course of his career he developed his game by launching them more frequently, and even doing so off-the-dribble. Before tearing his ACL in January, Ingles was already having a down year though, hitting only 35% from three, the lowest mark of his career.

Ingles has real craft in the pick-and-roll, developing good chemistry with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors over the years. He uses the pass-fake with great effectiveness, and that kind of craft allows him to be effective finishing inside despite not having much athleticism. He was consistently one of the better passers on the Jazz, and I think you could even make the argument he was their best passer at times.

On defense, he's not great but he has always been better than people give him credit for. However, he has lost a step as he has aged, and after tearing his ACL, it's likely he will continue to regress even further when he returns from that injury.

As a free agent in 2022, the timing could not be worse for Ingles. He will be 35 years old by the time he returns to the court, will likely miss half the '22-'23 season or more, and will be coming off his worst shooting year and a major injury. Unfortunately for Ingles, he may have to settle for a small one-year deal and hope to restore his value for 2023 free agency.
 
Cap Considerations
Ingles will be an unrestricted free agent with a $21 million cap hold and full Bird Rights. As his cap hold exceeds the salary he will get in free agency, his cap hold is not really relevant. If the Blazers re-sign Ingles, his cap hold will be replaced by his starting salary, and the Blazers may still have some cap space available depending on his salary and what happens with their other free agents.

Other teams will have multiple ways to sign Ibaka as even teams without cap space could possibly use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or possibly even the Room MLE or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. There's also a possibility that Ingles could be available with just a minimum contract offer.

Potential Teams: Jazz, Pistons, Pacers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $2.6 million ($1.8 million cap hit) with the Jazz

Actual Contract: 1-year, $6.5 million with the Bucks

I wasn't sure what to project with Ingles due to his recent injury, but this deal with the Bucks makes sense, as they don't need him to be healthy right away, and he could really help them in the playoffs if he gets back to playing even at the level right before his injury.

Last updated: 6/30/2022

bottom of page