The Indiana Pacers are unlikely to bring James Johnson back, but that reportedly will not stop him from attempting to continue his NBA career.
Johnson, who remains a free agent, recently made it clear that he has not "made that decision to retire yet" and that he wants to continue his playing career, regardless of where it ends up happening (h/t Tony East of Forbes).
“I haven’t made that decision to retire yet. I still want to play, help an organization, help bring culture,” Johnson said.
After spending parts of the last three seasons with the Pacers, it is looking more and more like the 38-year-old will have to look for a new home if he wants to continue his playing career. While Johnson does not provide a lot of on-court value anymore, he is a great locker room presence and mentor.
It remains to be seen if Johnson will be able to resume his career elsewhere. Regardless, he was a fan favorite during his time with the Pacers, and his status will be worth monitoring the rest of the way.
James Johnson was the odd man out during the Pacers' retooling
Following Tyrese Haliburton's injury and Myles Turner's departure, the Pacers are going to look incredibly different next season and for the foreseeable future as they look to remain in title contention.
There are reasons to believe Indiana will be able to remind the basketball world just how talented they are once they get their star guard back. However, until then, they will have to deal with the hand they've been dealt, and that includes navigating through life without two players who played a crucial role in their recent success.
Next season, the Pacers are expected to slide Andrew Nembhard to the point guard role full-time in order to make up for Haliburton's absence. And, as for their center situation, the team will run a center-by-committee and hope that someone eventually sticks out enough to become the primary starter.
Things do not look great for Indiana next season. They were just one win away from winning their first-ever NBA Championship, and there is now legitimate concern that they could miss the playoffs completely next year. However, even so, the team's future looks bright.
During what most expect to be a "gap year" next season, the Pacers will audition numerous players and experiment a bit to see who or what works for the long haul. Because of this, it never made much sense for Indiana to bring Johnson back as a free agent. Regardless, now that he has made his stance clear on his playing career, it would not be a surprise to see the Wyoming native back on an NBA court, even if he won't suit up for the Pacers again.