How the Pacers signing James Wiseman affects Isaiah Jackson getting an extension

The Indiana Pacers have a bunch of guys who are eligible for an extension this year. They have given contracts to two of them so far. Pascal Siakam received a max extension over four years. He was the one player that Indiana prioritized over every other in free agency.

Obi Toppin also got a four-year contract. He's getting paid $60 million over four years and will back up Siakam at the power forward position. Both T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard are up for extensions as well and all indications are that both will get one.

Isaiah Jackson is due for an extension next offseason. He won't be a free agent like Siakam and Toppin were this year, but he is due for a rookie extension. A new signing by the Pacers might make that a bit more difficult for Jackson to acquire.

How the signing of James Wiseman could affect the Pacers' willingness to give Jackson an extension

The Pacers signed former number two overall pick James Wiseman to a two-year deal on Tuesday. He will now fight with Jackson for the backup center minutes. Even though this will be Wiseman's third team in just five years, he's still just 23 years old and has a lot of pure talent.

If Wiseman is able to win the backup minutes at center, that could prevent Jackson from getting the extension that he desires. He hasn't really shown that he can be counted on to be in the rotation year-round. Obviously, having Wiseman in front of him would prove that.

Next year will be a massive season for Jackson. It will determine how long his tenure with the Pacers will be. If he plays well enough to earn consistent minutes off the bench, he'll get his extension. If not, he'll likely be playing somewhere else after the 2024-25 season.

The battle between Wiseman and Jackson will be fascinating once training camp rolls around. It will be one of the battles to watch early in the regular season too.