Free agency signings important to Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana free agents Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller and Reggie Miller all say their first choice is re-signing with the Pacers.\nPacers president Donnie Walsh says the trio will return.\nCoach Isiah Thomas is as "confident as you can be" but still cautious that other teams could swoop in with an attractive offer. That's why the Pacers will be active participants when the free-agent signing period begins this week.\n"We'll do the wooing," Thomas said with a laugh. "We'll definitely make all three aware of how important it is to keep them. We've tried to show them how special they are to us and what they mean to the franchise."\nTeams may start negotiating with free agents on July 1, and players may start signing contracts on July 16.\nAll three have reason to stay, developing into All-Stars with the Pacers. If the Pacers lose O'Neal or Brad Miller, finding outside help could be problematic. The Pacers are over the salary cap and would be unable to pursue other big name free agents. A team can only exceed the salary cap to sign their own players.\n"Our priority is free agency with our own players first, trades if it will make us a better team and then free agency -- other people's free agents," Walsh said.\nTo sign all three without exceeding the luxury tax, the Pacers likely will have to trade some hefty contracts. Austin Croshere and Ron Mercer are the likely targets, though most discussions reportedly involve Al Harrington.\nWalsh, however, has shown an unwillingness to deal his young players.\n"There will be a lot of rumors about us, but at the end of the day I don't know how much we'll change," Thomas said. "I like the course of direction we're heading in. I don't know realistically how much we'll change. I don't see us breaking up the core of the team. I hope not."\nReggie Miller, who earned $12 million a year ago, likely will have to take a pay cut to stay with the Pacers. He is coming off the worst season of his 16-year career, turns 38 in August, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle in May.\nWalsh expects a complete recovery by training camp.\n"I don't worry about Reggie because he always comes in here in shape," Walsh said.\nThe Pacers still need to hire another assistant coach following the departure of Brendan Malone to New York and they're undecided about the location of training camp.\nThomas said he'd likely promote from within the organization, like Chuck Person or George Glymph, to fill Malone's spot.\nAssistants Mark Aguirre, Dan Burke and Vern Fleming are under contract, while the contract of Jim Stack expired. Stack's return has not been decided.\nAs for training camp, Thomas would like to get away. Camp was in Cincinnati last year; Indianapolis in 2001.\nThe union agreed to expand the first round of the playoffs last season in exchange for some additional time off for veterans at the start of training camps.\nVeterans with at least four years of experience will not be required to report for the first three days of training camp this season and the first five days of training camp in the two subsequent seasons.\n"I think for this team, getting away would be good, but with the way it's staggered with the rookies coming in and veterans coming in at a later date, I haven't figured out how that's going to play out," Thomas said.\nThomas' summer gets busier in August when he'll serve as a consultant for Larry Brown and Team USA for the Olympic qualifying tournament.\n"My plate is big-time full," Thomas said.