Despite being in the midst of one of the craziest trade deadlines in NBA history, the Indiana Pacers largely stood pat and will look toward the future, only trading James Wiseman to the Toronto Raptors in a salary dump. However, while there is not much to talk about regarding the Wiseman trade, it left an extra roster spot open for Indiana. Just a few days later, Pacers fans now know exactly what the team will do to replace Wiseman's spot.
Pacers to sign veteran big man Alex Len
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Pacers are expected to sign Alex Len, who is being waived by the Washington Wizards. The Wizards acquired Len from the Sacramento Kings as part of a three-team trade that also landed them former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart.
Before the trade to Washington, Len played a very small role with the Kings. He appeared in 36 games, only starting three of them. On the year, he is averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds across 7.2 minutes per game.
While Len is not an exciting addition at this point in his career, there are still reasons to like the move if you are a Pacers fan. Most notably, the former No. 5 overall draft pick was teammates with Tyrese Haliburton during the 2021-22 season. Furthermore, Len provides the Pacers with a veteran presence and an extra body at the center spot. Len is 7'0" tall and will also bring much-needed size to the team.
Ultimately, signing Len is not a game-changer for the Pacers (especially since he is not likely to play much during the playoffs), but it is a solid pick-up nonetheless. Currently, the only centers the Pacers have available are Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant. There is no depth behind them, which the acquisition of Len will address.
With the Pacers expecting to bring Len into the mix, they now have one open roster spot available once again. Nothing is imminent, but it is fair to assume they will either keep that spot open the rest of the way or convert one of their two-way deals into a standard one. If they go with the latter option, chances are that rookie forward Enrique Freeman will be the candidate. Freeman provides a lot of energy and quickly became a fan favorite after preseason and into the regular season.
The Pacers do not play again until February 11 against the New York Knicks, which could also be the same night as Len's debut with the team.