The Indiana Pacers have an open roster spot. Here are three ways they can use it constructively.
A key NBA date is coming up – and it is one that could impact the Indiana Pacers somewhat significantly. On January 5th (Saturday), teams can begin to sign players to 10-day contracts.
These contracts are as simple as they sound – the team who signs the player gets them for 10 days on a pro-rated minimum deal. The Pacers actually did use a 10-day contract last year, if you’ll recall. They brought in Trey McKinney-Jones for a 10-day deal, but he only played 1 minute before not being brought back.
The team has an open roster spot after waiving forward Ben Moore earlier in the season. Given that 10-day contracts are about to be available to them to build up the roster, the Pacers could be a team that uses them to strengthen the squad. Let’s look at some ways, both using 10-day contracts and not, that the Pacers could use their final roster spot.
The Pacers could add depth
Last year, many teams used 10-day contracts to add depth. The Grizzlies added MarShon Brooks, who proved to be a valuable contributor for them down the stretch and is helping them this season too. A similar thing happened to Troy Williams in New York. Often times, these deals help a team get a useful player.
The Indiana Pacers can do that if they were so inclined. The guard rotation in Indiana is pretty set with four guys getting consistent minutes and Aaron Holiday eating up all the playing time when injuries occur. Additionally, the center rotation looks solid with the two young guys playing well of late plus Kyle O’Quinn being an excellent third option.
But the forward situation in Indy could be better. TJ Leaf is currently the second-best power forward on the roster, and the team only has two small forwards. Adding a forward could be useful to the team, similar to adding Trevor Booker last season.
There are a few options for this. Corey Brewer isn’t currently on a team, and while he doesn’t offer a ton on offense, he is an adequate defender and can play both the 3 and the 4. He could get a few spot minutes each game and allow Thaddeus Young to get some rest.
Another guy they could take a look at is Luke Babbit. Babbit can really shoot it, he’s up over 40 percent for his career from outside the arc and even had a season over 50 percent. Pritchard loves stretch 4s, so Babbit could fit like a glove in Indy.
And who knows, someone valuable could get bought out by another team and become available. There are numerous quality veterans that could be signed to this open spot, so the Pacers will have options if they want to pursue this route.
The Pacers could promote a two-way player
Like the 10-day contract, the Pacers did this strategy last season too.
If you’ll recall, Alex Poythress had his contract converted from a two-way deal to a full NBA contract last December. The team had an open roster spot that they left open for a move exactly like this last season, and they have an open roster spot now if they want to do something similar.
The two-way players on the Pacers right now both might be NBA quality. Edmond Sumner is solid and is a great insurance policy behind the current guard rotation. Davon Reed is showing right now that he has some real NBA skills. Either one would be a valuable player if they were at the back end of the Pacers roster.
This would also open up another two-way slot for the team, which they could use to add someone else by January 15th. Jamil Wilson or Paul Zipser could be good candidates for a move like this. Either way, the Pacers could get creative with their two-way contracts thanks to their open roster spot.
The Pacers could reward a Fort Wayne Mad Ant
This option is easily the least sexy, but it does offer some important benefits.
This is essentially what happened with McKinney-Jones last year. He played well in Fort Wayne, and when Darren Collison was out with an injury and the Pacers needed guard depth, they called him up.
There are two advantages to this. One is that it allows players, and agents, to be more comfortable playing for the Pacers G League team. If agents know that their client playing well in Fort Wayne could lead to a temporary promotion, even just for 10 days, they may be more inclined to push for the Mad Ants over other G League teams. On the flip side, a player may play more effectively knowing that their good play could be rewarded.
The second advantage is that these types of players typically don’t need a second 10-day contract. Say hypothetically that Doug McDermott gets a minor ankle injury. Giving a Mad Ant a temporary promotion to soak up some minutes on the wing or play in garbage time is a good use of the last roster spot. Once McD heals, the player just goes back to Fort Wayne and the Pacers have the open roster spot again after 10 days. It’s a win-win solution for the G Leaguer and the Pacers.
There are a few guys in Fort Wayne who might make some sense here, but it really depends on what the situation calls for. The most obvious candidate would be Omari Johnson, who played for the Pacers in the preseason and has some NBA experience. Stephan Hicks and Rob Gray have done well for the Mad Ants too, so they could be guys who may get a call-up.
There isn’t necessarily a best or worst option. The Indiana Pacers have many avenues they can pursue when it comes to their open roster spot in the coming months. With 10-day season just around the corner, it is time to keep an eye on what they might do.