When the Indiana Pacers cut Taelon Peter, they were letting go of a guard who was never really given a chance in favor of a wing who had to be cut twice to get his. Within about 24 hours, the Pacers took Peter's two-way contract slot and replaced him with Jalen Slawson.
Now, after he signed with the San Antonio Spurs on a training camp deal, the Pacers will be forced to wonder if they made the right choice.
This is what the churn of the NBA does. Peter was the 54th pick in the 2025 draft out of Liberty. He was drafted as a movement shooter, although that skill set failed to materialize at all. After just one year and 38 games, he is being asked to build his career from scratch.
The Pacers have a clear need for shooting – it's why they drafted Peter in the first place – and they just cut the player they brought in to be a specialist.
It's not a bad move. It wasn't when it happened. In fact, it was quite a good one. The Pacers managed to retain Jalen Slawson on a two-way instead of committing their final roster spot to a subpar option, with Peter as the only price of that transaction.
It just feels like Peter could still become a decent option. It's why the Spurs brought him in.
With so little risk in bringing him in for training camp, it's confusing why the Pacers didn't try to do the same for a player who already knows their system and style.
What do the Spurs know?
Even if it's just in the form of a former two-way contract, it doesn't feel good to see the Spurs steal talent from Indiana. When your opponent goes out of their way to take advantage of something you did, you need to reevaluate if it was a mistake or not.
The worst-case scenario for a move like this is Bruce Bowen. The defensive stalwart was cut four times to start his career before he landed in San Antonio and won three titles in eight years. He ended up getting his jersey retired, something no one would've expected when he was just a footnote.
Is it realistic for Peter to become Bowen? No. Absolutely not. However, talent falls through the cracks constantly. When you cut rookies a year after drafting them or trade them to move up one draft later, you accept that you are making a choice prematurely.
The Pacers have given up on their whole 2025 draft class. They dumped Kam Jones and cut Taelon Peter. That's just a sad thing.
The Spurs may get a steal in Peter. The Bulls may get one in Kam Jones. But the chances of Peter excelling on an excellent team are larger than Jones on a dreadful one.
Good teams make good decisions on the margins. That is the most important part of team building, especially in a small market.
The Pacers made a move on the margins. The Spurs did too.
Time will tell who made the right choice.
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