NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 7: Jalen Slawson #18 of the Orlando Magic recovers a loose ball as Jamal Cain #8 and Karlo Matkovic #17 of the New Orleans Pelicans defend during the second half of a preseason game at the Smoothie King Center on October 7, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images)
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INDIANAPOLIS – Last week, the Indiana Pacers signed forward Jalen Slawon to an Exhibit 10 contract. Sometimes, such deals are simply a procedural transaction with G League rights in mind, and that might end up being the final result for Slawson when it comes to his time with the Pacers. But over the weekend, the 25-year old attended an Indianapolis Colts game with his teammates, and later it was confirmed that the Furman product will be in training camp with the blue and gold. He’ll get more opportunity than many Exhibit 10 signees, who are just added with finances and the G League in mind.
Slawson has 12 games of NBA experience under his belt. He played for the Sacramento Kings in 2023-24 after being selected 54th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he averaged 0.7 points per game. Last year, he appeared in a few preseason games for the Orlando Magic but was with their G League outfit for the entire regular season.
The Pacers G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, acquired Slawson’s rights via a trade in August. If he’s waived by the Pacers during training camp, he could end up with the Boom and receive a monetary bonus if he stays there for 60 days thanks to his Exhibit 10 deal. He’s a quality ball handler and defender on the wing.
The fact that Slawson is coming to camp could be a sign that a battle for the Pacers final roster spot(s) is coming. His Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary agreement that is completely non guaranteed. He joins James Wiseman and Tony Bradley as players on Indiana’s roster with contracts that aren’t fully guaranteed ahead of the coming season.
What could the Pacers roster battle look like in training camp?
It’s a similar situation to the one the Pacers were in last year. They had one extra player in training camp as Cole Swider and Kendall Brown battled for a roster spot. In the end, though, neither player made the team – finances played a big part in that decision and are less of a restriction this season for the Pacers.
For a possible 2025 roster battle, there may be more players and considerations involved for Indiana. Bradley and Slawson are on contracts with no guaranteed money, but Slawson’s Exhibit 10 deal could be converted to a two-way contract at any time – and he’s eligible for such a deal. That adds other Pacers players, including those currently on two-way deals (Quenton Jackson, RayJ Dennis, and Taelon Peter), into the possible roster-battle mix.
The team’s needs will be a factor. As things stand, Indiana has four centers signed to a standard contract (Bradley, Wiseman, Isaiah Jackson, and Jay Huff) but just two natural point guards (Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell – rookie Kam Jones is of unknown impact). While both Q Jackson and Dennis can play point guard in a pinch, they’re on two-way agreements and limited in the number of games they can play in the regular season. Indiana may need another point guard on the roster and could consider converting the contract of Q Jackson or Dennis to a standard deal – though they’d have to waive a player by opening night to do so.
But Indiana might need all of their centers. Four may seem superfluous, but two of them (I Jackson and Wiseman) are recovering from Achilles tears. They may be limited in either availability or ability early in the season. Having more depth could, pending health, be of importance.
“Maybe the center position is more of a swiss army knife type thing. We’ll have to see. We have Huff, we have Isaiah Jackson, we have Wiseman. Tony Bradley is going to be in camp,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle shared during a radio interview last month. “So there’s four guys that are going to be slugging it out for presumably three center spots. So as we get into it, we’ll see what’s what.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 29: Branden Carlson #15 of the Oklahoma City Thunder collides with Tony Bradley #13 of the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter Paycom Center on March 29, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images)
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So, Indiana might need another point guard but might also need additional center depth. If McConnell or Nembhard were to miss time, the blue and gold would be very light on experienced ball handling.
Q Jackson played well when needed last season, so perhaps his two-way deal could be converted to a standard contract. That would come at the expense of another player on the roster but would open up another two-way contract slot – and Slawson is eligible for such a deal. All of the players potentially battling for spots are entangled in some way.
That’s why training camp could be a true battle. The team’s priorities could change, and their needs may not be known until their health situation is more clear. Slawson, Bradley, and one of Jackson or Dennis could stand to benefit. If Jones is NBA ready quickly, point guard might not even be a need.
The battle could expand, too. According to a report from Marc Stein in The Stein Line, the Pacers brought in guard Delano Banton for a free agent audition. While Stein notes that the Pacers passed on signing him, that they had interest at all is noteworthy – Banton is a point guard and the Pacers have a theoretical need at the position.
Indiana is far enough under the luxury tax threshold that they should be able to keep a 15th player to open the season if one stands out in camp. Whether that’s a yet-to-sign point guard, a two-way conversion, Bradley, or even someone else is to be determined. A camp battle could provide the Pacers with answers.