According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Indiana Pacers are not expected to keep both James Wiseman and Tony Bradley heading into next season. And, as it stands, there are more reasons to believe the Pacers would choose Wiseman over Bradley.
"Although the Pacers have a full 15-man roster at this moment, it is expected that they won't keep both James Wiseman and Tony Bradley entering the 2025-26 season. Both players have nonguaranteed contracts and can be leveraged if Indiana looks to make a roster upgrade," Siegel wrote.
At the moment, Indiana has four centers on their roster. Even as they plan to run a center-by-committee, that is still too many big men to keep rostered at one time. Because of this, it was already expected that the Pacers would move on from one of their centers. And, due to his contract and overall standing compared to the other centers, Bradley was always the odd man out.
The Pacers liked Wiseman enough to bring him in last year, and they clearly like him enough to re-sign him this offseason despite coming off an Achilles injury. It remains to be seen if they are justified in the end, but it would be a big surprise if the Pacers opt to keep Bradley over the former No. 2 overall pick.
The Pacers have a tough situation at center
Bradley came up big multiple times for Indiana last season, including in the playoffs. However, he doesn't have a high ceiling, and he provides the least amount of intrigue of all the centers on the roster.
In addition to the 27-year-old and Wiseman, the Pacers also have Isaiah Jackson and Jay Huff. A lot can change until the start of next season, but it is fair to assume these two will be the most relied-upon centers for Indiana.
While it is far from ideal, running a committee at center is arguably the Pacers' best option after Myles Turner shockingly signed with the Milwaukee Bucks as a free agent earlier this offseason. Each big man has something to play for, and that could culminate in some magic happening during the season. Regardless, the Pacers must find a better solution to their center problems if they want to remain in title contention.
Assuming the Pacers do move on from Bradley before the start of next season, they will have three intriguing centers to utilize. However, the main problem is that none of them are established starting centers on a championship-caliber team. They should each have a good opportunity to show they can become that next season, but the Pacers' situation still leaves a lot to be desired.
With next year looking like a down year for Indiana, they will have a good opportunity to experiment a bit with their roster to see who or what works for the next season. Things can change, but at the moment, it does not seem like Bradley will be a part of their future plans.