Despite picking up his team option in the offseason, there is no guarantee that the Indiana Pacers will keep Tony Bradley as a fourth center next season, especially given their financial situation. However, the Pacers do have an option to waive Bradley (who is on a non-guaranteed contract) and sign him to a minimum deal if he clears waivers.
Recently, Tony East of Forbes explained how the Pacers can shed some salary even if they opt to keep the former first-round pick. In doing so, East explained that releasing him from his current contract (which is worth $2.9 million next season) and signing him to a minimum contract could be in the best interest of both sides. Indiana gets to retain Bradley's rebounding and reliability while giving him a guaranteed contract instead.
"Another option that would open up a small amount of spending for the Pacers but keep Bradley on the team would be to waive Bradley on his current deal, then sign him to a minimum contract should he clear waivers. Such a move would give the blue and gold about $700k more in spending power beneath the luxury tax threshold while still maintaining emergency center depth. While this would hurt Bradley’s wallet, it would land him a spot on a roster – and the Pacers could compensate for his smaller contract by giving him some guaranteed money," East wrote.
Bradley is far from an irreplaceable player, but there is a reason Indiana picked up his team option. As the Pacers find a way to replace Myles Turner, who joined the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency, Bradley should have a good opportunity to make an impact and solidify himself as a legitimate contributor in Indiana.
Tony Bradley can provide value for the Pacers
He is not the best center on the planet, but the Florida native looked solid at times for the Pacers last season, and the team justifiably rewarded him by picking up his team option.
Bradley proved that he is a reliable center who provides some defensive value. Additionally, he stepped up numerous times last season, particularly in the playoffs, where he leapfrogged Thomas Bryant as Indiana's primary backup center at one point.
There is a lot to like about Bradley, and keeping him rostered would provide the Pacers with some insurance, given their murky center situation.
As it stands, the Pacers are expected to run a center-by-committee with Bradley, Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson, and James Wiseman. This is a bit of a mixed bag as all of these players are solid, but none of them are established starters on a championship-contending team. Furthermore, while most would consider Bradley to be the worst player of the four, that does not immediately mean he can't be an important part of the team next season.
Huff, while he looked solid and is an intriguing acquisition for the Pacers, is on his fifth team in as many seasons and is mostly unproven. Furthermore, Jackson and Wiseman are both fresh off an Achilles injury, and it remains to be seen exactly how much they can contribute right away.
The odds are not entirely in Bradley's favor, but he cannot be counted out just yet. As the Pacers look to figure out their center situation, they will need to experiment as much as possible to see what sticks, and it could lead to the UNC alum sticking with the team for another year.