INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JANUARY 4: Monte Morris #23 of the Phoenix Suns holds the ball against Ben Sheppard #26 of the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 4, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
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INDIANAPOLIS – With training camp just around the corner, the Indiana Pacers are making another addition to their roster – they plan to sign veteran point guard Monte Morris to a contract.
The Pacers currently have 21 players under contract and will have to waive one to make room for Morris, but two of their currently-signed players (Samson Johnson and Gabe McGlothan) are on Exhibit 10 deals and are expected to land with the Pacers G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom. Once one/both of them are waived, the blue and gold can sign Morris.
The eight-year veteran fits Indiana in many ways, but the largest appeal for the Pacers is that he’s a point guard. Currently, only two players on their roster (Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell) are point guards with significant experience, and head coach Rick Carlisle likes to deploy lineups with two lead ball handlers. The team needed more tested depth at the position to do that, and Morris brings it.
“If there is a position we’d maybe look at… maybe another point guard,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of his team in late July on the Setting The Pace podcast. “With [Nembhard] and [McConnell], it obviously puts a lot on their plates with nobody behind them right now that’s a pure point guard on our 15-man roster.”
Why are the Pacers adding Monte Morris?
Morris certainly fills that role. He spent last season with the Phoenix Suns as a depth guard, and he averaged 5.2 points plus 1.6 assists per game across 45 appearances. He battled injuries the year prior.
The Michigan native was a late second-round pick in 2017, and he spent the first five seasons of his career with the Denver Nuggets. There, he developed skills that make him a snug basketball fit with his new team. He is an excellent caretaker and has only had more turnovers than games played one time in his career – while Morris doesn’t take many risks, his ability to keep an offense going is valuable. The Pacers finished the 2024-25 season with the third-lowest turnovers per game number.
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 11: Monte Morris #22 of the Washington Wizards shoots the ball against Andrew Nembhard #2 of the Indiana Pacers at Capital One Arena on February 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
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Morris’ best seasons came with Denver, and he gained a ton of playoff experience in that time. That could matter for a Pacers group that reached the NBA Finals last season, though they aren’t projected to be as threatening this season without Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton’s absence is the reason that Indiana needed a point guard at all. Morris fills that spot, and he’s signing a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. It contains an Exhibit 9 clause, meaning if Morris gets injured in training camp the Pacers aren’t stuck with his full cap hit on the books all season.
Should Morris last through the exhibition portion of the year and make it on the Pacers regular season roster, he will be playing with a contract that carries a cap hit of just under $2.3 million. Because he’s on an Exhibit 9 deal, he won’t count against the cap until the regular season starts.
Morris now joins a group of players competing for a roster spot during Indiana’s training camp. Morris’ deal is completely non-guaranteed, as is the contract for reserve center Tony Bradley. Jalen Slawson will be in camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, and James Wiseman’s contract isn’t fully guaranteed. While Slawson seems to be the farthest away from a roster spot among that group, Bradley, Wiseman, and Morris could be competing for two spots on the final roster. It may come down to how many centers or point guards the Pacers opt to keep into the season.
Last year, Indiana had a roster battle between Cole Swider and Kendall Brown but ended up waiving both players. So Morris, as well as the others involved in a competition, will have to beat out their teammates while also playing well enough to truly earn a spot.
Morris has averaged 9.5 points and 3.6 assists per game throughout his career. Training camp begins for the Pacers in one week.