Indiana Pacers have battle underway for final roster spot ahead of regular season

The Pacers still have to put the finishing touches on their team

May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Kendall Brown (10) shoots the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo (43) defends during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

INDIANAPOLIS — While the Indiana Pacers are currently pushing through a training camp marked by continuity, a few new players on the roster are involved in a roster battle for the final spot(s) on the team.

As it stands right now, the Pacers have 19 players under contract. When the regular season starts, that number has to be 18, at most — a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts and three players on two-way deals. By October 19, Indiana will have to cut at least one player so they clear the waiver process by the Monday before the regular season starts.

Multiple Indiana players are signed to contracts that are not fully guaranteed for the coming. Kendall Brown and the newly-added Cole Swider won't earn money unless they are on the Pacers roster come opening night. "He's a guy competing for the 15th spot," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Swider. James Wiseman ($500k) and James Johnson ($750k) have partial guarantees in their contracts for the 2024-25 season. In theory, any of them could be involved in the battle for the last spot on the roster.

In reality, it likely comes down to Swider, Brown, and perhaps the players on two-way deals. Currently, the guys on a two-way contract in Indiana are Quenton Jackson, Tristen Newton,and Enrique Freeman.

Freeman has shown the most among that group. He stood out during summer league play, and Indiana signed both Jackson and Newton to a two-way deal at the same time. The Freeman agreement came a few weeks later only after other considerations were sorted out, which suggests that the Pacers were considering him for a standard contract before agreeing to a two-way deal.

As things stand now, though, it would appear as if the Pacers battle for the 15th and final roster spot comes down to Brown vs Swider, with other players in the mix pending extreme performances during training camp and preseason — good or bad.

Indiana Pacers wing Cole Swider speaks with reporters after a practice on October 2, 2024. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Pacers On SI) / Tony East

Production will matter in the coming weeks to settle the battle for the final roster spot(s). "Just how all these all these guys competing for it play," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the key factors involved in the decision. "How they compete, how they manage game situations when they have chances to play."

Both Swider and Brown are technically two-way eligible, so there are a lot of moving parts, but their willingness to take a two-way deal is unknown. Their contracts can't be directly converted. As it stands, Swider's expert shooting ability and Brown's athleticism and potential are competing to stand out during upcoming action. Even before the blue and gold added Swider, Brown's summer league play created questions about the back end of Indiana's roster.

The 21-year old Brown was drafted by the Pacers with the 48th overall pick in 2022. They have seen him develop across the last two seasons, which were both spent primarily on two-way contracts. In March, he inked a three-year deal with the franchise, but only the first year contained guaranteed money.

Swider, meanwhile, has been with other teams (the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat) on two-way deals in recent seasons. Both players are inexperienced. Swider is older and more of a specialist — his three-point shooting has been exceptional in the G League and during summer league outings. Brown is fast and can jump out of the gym, and his game is being built out from his athletic tools.

"Whether it's him (Swider), whether it's Kendall, or whether it's one of the guys that's presently on a two-way [deal]. That's kind of where that is," Carlisle said of the Pacers final roster spot. "I'm anxious to see how these guys compete."

Swider's cap hit is ever so slightly smaller than Brown's, but that difference is negligible for the Pacers' planning. They will be under the luxury tax with either player — and if a two-way player earns the final roster spot, their cap hit would be even smaller. Financially, there is no issue for Indiana, and they can reconsider things ahead of the league wide contract guarantee date in January.

"It's not [certain] that we [will] keep a 15th person. Someone's got to earn that spot," Carlisle said.

Tonight, the Pacers begin preseason play. It's one of the first chances for the players competing for a spot to show what they can do, and the battle for the Pacers final roster opening will be a story throughout training camp.

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