What Options Do The Indiana Pacers Have With Their Open Roster Spot?

The Indiana Pacers have one month left in their ruinous 2021-22 season, and the final stretch will be all about experimenting and evaluating the new-look roster.

The Pacers are out of the playoff race, which is an unfamiliar situation for a franchise that always pushes for success. The front office made several dramatic midseason trades, a team-building strategy scarcely deployed by the Eastern Conference pillar. Now, they are looking toward the future.

Young players have been featured more often during recent games, and that could be even moreso the case in Indiana’s final 14 battles. And one way the Pacers could spotlight and assess another young player is by signing one to the roster, something the team is able to do after moving on from Tristan Thompson in February.

Buying out Thompson gave the blue and gold an extra roster spot, and nearly one month later it still has not been used. The Pacers were facing luxury tax concerns as recently as Feburary, so they had financial reasons to not add a player for a period of time. But that moment has passed, and now Indiana has the capabilities to add a player to their roster and still stay under the $136 million tax line even if a few veterans acheive bonuses in their contract.

“Virtually anything is an open conversation right now,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of using the roster spot after a practice earlier this week, per James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. While that soundbite provides little insight into what the Pacers will ultimately do with the open spot on their team, the vague nature of the quote does amplify the fact that the Pacers have a few paths they could take in filling that roster spot.

Converting a two-way contract

One option the Indiana front office has with their open roster spot is converting the contract of a two-way player to a standard deal. Currently, the Pacers have two talented rookies, Duane Washington Jr. and Terry Taylor, on two-way contracts, and both of them have a case to have their contract converted.

Washington currently ranks 15th among rookies in point per game. His quick decision making and impressive three-point shooting have been valuable for the blue and gold all year long, and he has been a member of Carlisle’s rotation for nearly three months now. His offensive skills fit well with the head coach’s fast-paced style.

“He’s done a ton of good things. As first year players often do, he’ll make some mistakes. But he’s undeterred,” Carlisle said of Washington earlier this season. “He has the ability to move from a bad play to the next play, which is so imporant for young players.”

Taylor, on the other hand, is perhaps the best rebounder in the league at his height. He ranks sixth in the entire NBA in offensive rebounds per-36 minutes, and his ability to finish around the rim is uncanny for a 6’5 forward. His unrivaled skill on the glass already earned him one promotion with the Pacers earlier this season, and he could be in line for a standard deal if the Pacers want to continue to reward his strong play.

Converting either Taylor or Washington to a standard deal would open up a two-way slot on the Pacers, so the front office could backfill the spot created by converting a player with another signing if they are so inclined. Any number of talented youngsters could receive a two-way deal in that case. Someone from the Pacers G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, would make sense.

Signing either two-way player to a standard deal would likely only be done by the Pacers if they could ink Washington or Taylor to a multi-year deal that features some team flexibility. Otherwise, there is not much incentive for the Pacers to convert either deal in the first place — both players are deserving of a pay increase, but as it stands, both players can play for the Pacers in every game for the rest of the campaign, and Indiana can make them restricted free agents once the season is over. If the Pacers want Washington or Taylor back next season, they have the means to do so. There is little risk of losing either player as of now, so any contract conversion would likely afford the Pacers some future flexibility. A contract conversion could still make sense for both parties, though.

Signing a player to a 10-day contract

If the Pacers’ focus with their open roster spot is player evaluation, then signing a player (or multiple) to a 10-day contract could be the best path forward for the front office.

“With some guys being out, there’s always a chance we could do a 10-day,” Carlisle shared this week.

10-day contracts are exactly what their name suggests — a deal that lasts ten days and pays a player a pro-rated minimum salary. The Pacers signed Lance Stephenson to a pair of 10-day deals earlier this season, and forward Oshae Brissett spent some time on 10-day contracts last season.

Both Stephenson and Brissett made the most of their opportunity and proved they belong with the blue and gold. But not every player to sign a deal like this shows that they are NBA material, and that is why signing a player to a shorter contract is great for a team that wants to evaluate talent.

The Pacers could opt to sign someone on a 10-day agreement just to see how they fit with the team’s culture and scheme. If said player fits in well with the roster’s ethos, they could get another 10-day deal, or even a longer contract. If they don’t gel with the current group, then a different free agent could be brought in and evaluated for ten days. Shorter deals offer more flexibility but fewer guarantees.

Historically, the Pacers have used 10-day deals to give a brief promotion to players currently in the G League. Any member of the Mad Ants could be brought in and evaluated, but one name that stands out is Justin Anderson.

Anderson, who spent time on the Pacers earlier this season on a hardship deal and played under Carlisle in Dallas, is averaging 31.9 points per game in his last 15 appearances for Fort Wayne, dating back to the beginning of February. He has been excellent for the G League group, and he was effective during this three-game stint with the pro team in early January — averaging 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while also playing effective defense. If he gets a look from the blue and gold, he will have earned it.

Jordan Bell, Gabe York, and Nate Hinton have also excelled this season for the Mad Ants and could be worthy of a call-up. Hinton, who appeared in two games for the Pacers earlier this seaosn, and York would be eligible for a two-way deal if one of Washington or Taylor receives a promotion.

Signing a player for the rest of the season

Indiana brass could skip 10-day deals entirely and decide to sign a free agent to a contract for the rest of the season if they have reason. Having an open roster spot grants them that flexibility.

There is little incentive for the Pacers to sign a player to a rest-of-season deal instead of a 10-day deal unless the team is adding future seasons on to the contract. Otherwise, there is little value in rushing into the sub-one-month commitment for the Pacers, which is exactly what Carlisle detailed at practice this week.

“Right at the moment there’s nothing imminent,” he said of any potenital signings.

If the Pacers did scoop someone up for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign, it would likely be someone that already has familiarity with the roster and team culuture. That would decrease the risk of a wasted signing filling the final roster spot over the final month of the season. Anderson, Hinton, and former Pacers and now-Celtics forward Kelan Martin (who has two more days on a 10-day deal with Boston) could all make sense in this scenario if the Pacers were motivated to get a deal done. But a 10-day deal makes more sense for any of that trio.

The first two options (converting a two-way or signing a player to a 10-day deal) seem more likely for the team from the Circle City as they continue to evaluate players and lineups. Short term deals with more flexibility are more beneficial for the blue and gold right now. The Pacers have a ton of options with their final roster spot, and they could use it soon to add value to the team.