After just over two weeks of the 2018-19 NBA season, the Indiana Pacers have waived Ben Moore.
All was well and quiet in the land of the Indiana Pacers this morning. They were fresh off a hard-fought win over the Chicago Bulls and they were spending the day traveling back to Indiana to take on the Celtics. But in that in-between phase, the team made a roster move. They announced this morning that they had waived forward Ben Moore.
Moore was in his second season with the team. He spent the first season on a two-way contract. This year, he won the battle for the final roster spot in the preseason and had a full NBA contract. However, he only had $45,000 guaranteed on his deal, whereas every other player on the team has a fully guaranteed contract. Unfortunately for Moore, that made him the most likely guy to get waived.
The team announced the move on Twitter this morning:
Moore didn’t get to play for the team during his two-week time. Last season, he logged nine minutes in two games, and he was able to pull down a rebound and dish out an assist.
This moves timing seems peculiar on the surface, but in reality, it isn’t. The G League season started last night, which means now the counter for the 45 days on two-way contracts begins. That means Edmond Sumner‘s clock is ticking on how many days he can play with the Indiana Pacers before he has to become a Mad Ant.
The Pacers likely want Summer to be a full-time player with the pro team, so they will likely fill Moore’s roster spot with Sumner. That option was laid out in this post if you want to learn more about it. Expect to see that move announced in the coming days, if not hours.
We wish the best for Ben Moore, who could still re-sign with the Pacers on a two-way contract. Perhaps he even signs with the Mad Ants. There could be more to this story, and we will find out soon.