The 2025 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the Indiana Pacers made just one move. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Pacers traded center James Wiseman and cash considerations to the Toronto Raptors.
The Indiana Pacers are trading James Wiseman and cash to the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
Wiseman joined the Pacers as a free agent last offseason. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has had a rough start to his NBA career, but many fans had hope that he could turn things around in Indiana, which was enforced after his solid preseason. Unfortunately, the big man suffered an Achilles injury during his Pacers debut that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Since going down, the Pacers replaced Wiseman by trading for Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat. Even before shipping him out to Toronto, Wiseman's future in Indiana was murky.
Trading James Wiseman moves Pacers away from the tax
Pacers beat writer Tony East tweeted about the benefits of moving on from Wiseman. Dumping his salary moves the Pacers $2.4 million away from the tax.
Pacers just couldn’t go into the playoffs with basically 3 dead roster spots. Getting off Wiseman’s deal cleanly gets them $2.4 million away from the tax, and they can add a 15th healthy body in many ways now.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) February 6, 2025
Given how expensive the Pacers will be, provided they extend Bennedict Mathurin and re-sign Myles Turner this summer, getting under the tax now is a huge benefit.
Furthermore, as East mentions, the Pacers now have an open roster spot once again. With the trade deadline now behind us, this is not a route the Pacers can take to fill this spot. However, there are still a few options nonetheless.
The most intriguing option is to look at the buyout market. One of the major narratives after the trade deadline fallout to follow is the players who get bought out and become free agents. It is too early to know for sure who might hit the market, but it is worth following for Indiana.
Another potential option is for the Pacers to convert one of their two-way deals into a standard one. The most likely candidate for this is rookie Enrique Freeman, who impressed in preseason and in limited time during the regular season. Even if this is what happens, it is unlikely that Freeman will play a big role on the court right away.
Lastly, the Pacers could just keep that last roster spot open throughout the rest of the season. At this point, whoever fills that spot is unlikely to play a major role for the team regardless. Keeping that spot open for financial reasons could make sense.
It is unfortunate that Wiseman's Pacers career came to this. There was a lot to be excited about, and hopefully he can turn things around elsewhere next season. As for the Pacers, with their team now solidified, they will look to continue their hot streak and cement themselves as legitimate title contenders.