Pacers Earn Multiple Disabled Player Exceptions, Could Help With Trade Talks

Indiana is making the most of a bad situation.

May 23, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) reacts after receiving a technical foul against the Boston Celtics in the second half during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are doing their darnedest to make lemonade out of some majorly distressed lemons.

After a league-designated physician determined that backup big men Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman's Achilles tendon tears were season-ending, Indiana was able to earn a pair of disabled player exceptions for both sidelined players, sources inform Bobby Marks of ESPN. Disabled player exceptions account for half of the injured player in question's salary. Thus, Jackson's disabled player exception will be worth $2,217,691, while Wiseman's will be $1,118,846.

Indiana will be able to use its two disabled player exceptions until March 10.

Disabled player exceptions could be utilized to add a player in the final year of his contract via trade, to sign a free agent in a rest-of-season deal or to bring on a player off waivers who's in the last season of his deal. Ultimately, the disabled player exception is designed to give a team some optionality during the year a player is hurt, but not beyond that.

Clubs need to have roster space to add a free agent player or someone off waivers, they are not allowed to bring on a surplus player. The Pacers have all 15 of their standard roster spots occupied, although both new backup center Moses Brown (ostensibly brought on as a short-term replacement for Jackson and Wiseman) and Wiseman are both on non-guaranteed deals. Cutting Wiseman would negate his disabled player exception deal, however.

The Pacers, losers of four in a row, are currently 9-14 on the season, and in desperate need of some scheduling relief. They might get that on Friday night, when they'll square off against another mediocre Eastern Conference play-in squad, the 10-13 Chicago Bulls, who like Indiana occupy the Central Division. Chicago center Nikola Vucevic is the club's leading scorer, at 21.7 points a night, and rebounder, and 9.9 boards per. Two-time All-NBA Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam is losing the way for Indiana, with 20.1 points, while also notching 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Despite playing on the road, Indiana is projected as a 3.5-point favorite to win, according to sportsbook aggregator The Action Network. It would mightily help rescue the Pacers from this mini-slump. Being five games below a .500 record at the quarter-season mark is hardly where Indiana would have hoped to be at this point in this season coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, but the continued slide of All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton — and injuries to Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard — has been a huge hindrance.

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