Category: Indiana Spencer

 

Marquette basketball, Kam Jones, Indiana Pacers

Mar 8, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart talks with guard Kam Jones (1) during the second half against the St. John’s Red Storm at Fiserv Forum.

In the 2025 NBA draft, the Indiana Pacers chose star Marquette guard Kam Jones with the 38th pick, marking the next step in his basketball career after four years with the Golden Eagles. With play set to start next Thursday, the Pacers dropped their summer league squad on social media. Some fans were startled to see Jones missing from the list, but that’s likely due to a technicality of the NBA offseason schedule – no need to worry.

 

Kam Jones Should Show Up Soon on Indiana Pacers Summer League Team

Here’s the summer league roster the Pacers published earlier today.

 

 

Technically, they didn’t actually draft Jones. The 38th pick belongs to the San Antonio Spurs, who agreed to trade it to Indiana on draft night. Since free agent signings and trades can’t become official until July 6, he isn’t yet part of the team. In two days’ time, Jones should be up there with the rest. Frankly, it would be shocking if he wasn’t.

 

It’s easy to understand any initial concern over his omission. Prior to the draft, the Pacers traded the 23rd pick in 2025 to New Orleans in exchange for their own first-round pick back in 2026, owned by the Pelicans. Their only other selection was a later second-rounder at no. 54. Trading for no. 38 (they sent the Spurs a future second-round pick) gave them their best position in this year’s draft. After investing in the pick, it would be disconcerting to see him left off the summer team. Injury? A falling-out? What happened?

 

Marquette Golden Eagles, Kam Jones, Indiana Pacers

Feb 4, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles forwards David Joplin (23) and Caedin Hamilton (35), with guards Kam Jones (1), Chase Ross (2), and Zaide Lowery (7) at Madison Square Garden.

Fortunately the exclusion seems to be just a formality, pending the official commencement of free agency on the 6th. After averaging 19.2 points and 5.9 assists as a senior, Jones has a wide open opportunity in Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating Achilles injury in Game 7 of the Finals leaves the Pacers without their starting point guard.

 

 

So far this offseason they have nonetheless taken a quiet approach. This suggests they will look to run the point through shooting guard Andrew Nembhard (5.0 APG last year), backup TJ McConnell (4.4 APG), and youngsters like Jones who show enough to merit a spot on the depth chart.

 

Kam Jones, Marquette Golden Eagles, Indiana Pacers

Feb 8, 2025; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Kam Jones (1) scores against Creighton Bluejays forward Jasen Green (0) in the second half at CHI Health Center Omaha.

Assuming the roster is updated to include him, Jones will join no. 54 pick Taelon Peter in summer league ball, alongside Pacers reserves Quenton Jackson, Johnny Furphy, and others. Indiana has games scheduled for July 10 versus the Cavaliers, July 12 vs the Thunder, July 14 vs the Bulls, and July 17 against the Knicks.

 

 

 

 

The Indiana Pacers are hoping that Keisei Tominaga, or any Summer League player, will be able to crack their roster as a value offseason pickup.

 

The Indiana Pacers, after losing Tyrese Haliburton to injury and Myles Turner to free agency, seem headed towards a down year in 2025-26.

 

After making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and then improving to make the Finals in 2025, the Pacers were hoping to run the Eastern Conference for the next several seasons, but instead will struggle to make the playoffs.

 

So next season, why not have some fun with it?

 

The Pacers signed guard Keisei Tominaga to a Summer League contract. He averaged 15.1 points and 2.3 rebounds for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2023-24, and has found some success playing for the Japanese national team.

 

In the 2023 FIBA Cup he averaged 10 points, although he scored only a single basket for Japan during three Olympic appearances.

 

Still, he was a fan favorite in college, and the frisky Japanese team quickly won over fans in Paris, with Yuki Kawamura signing with the Memphis Grizzlies last season.

 

The Pacers have three open roster spots and two open two-way contracts, although Enrique Freeman is expected to sign, as might James Wiseman or Thomas Bryant.

 

In the wake of Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers do have room on their depth chart for a guard, although Tominaga is far from an elite shooter or facilitator, and his defense is lacking. While he might win over fans this summer, it is not expected that he will suit up in the NBA next season, although he could find himself on a G League roster if all goes well.

 

Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.

 

Mar 3, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) and Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) battle for position in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-

 

Maybe the Pacers had it figured out all along.

 

Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3).

Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3). |

It may not be ideal, but the Indiana Pacers have an obvious solution to their center problems following Myles Turner’s departure, and it is simply to just continue riding with the guys they already have.

 

Replacing someone like Turner, who played a big part in Indiana’s NBA Finals appearance and is among the best stretch bigs in the league, is not going to be an easy task. Doing so in one offseason will be borderline impossible.

As the Pacers prepare for a gap year with Tyrese Haliburton likely missing all of next season, they are likely going to hand out some more opportunities to their young guys, such as Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Jarace Walker. However, they could also do the same thing for their centers, who will have a unique opportunity with Turner now in Milwaukee.

 

Indiana has already exercised Tony Bradley’s team option for next season, and they extended a qualifying offer to Isaiah Jackson, making him a restricted free agent. Furthermore, Thomas Bryant is still a free agent, and it would not be a totally bad idea to take another flier on James Wiseman, who looked solid in preseason last year.

 

All of these big men possess different skillsets and bring value to the Pacers in different ways. As Indiana looks to address their center needs in a bare market, they may just need to run it back and see what sticks during what will be a gap year anyway.

 

The Pacers have a tough predicament at center

One of the biggest problems with letting Turner walk for nothing in free agency is that the Pacers are likely not going to be able to find a full-time replacement for him. There are few big men in the NBA who can stretch the floor and protect the rim as well as he can, and he was the perfect fit in Indiana’s system. Regardless, he is now out the door, and the team has to find some answers.

 

The free agent market is slim, and the Pacers are not likely going to find anybody in the trade market who can come close to matching Turner’s impact. That’s why, even if they are not flashy names, letting it rock with last year’s center crew may be their best (and probably cheapest) option.

 

Of course, the Pacers are not likely going to roster four centers next year, but they all at least deserve an opportunity to shine in training camp and preseason. All four of these players are familiar with the system and have shown flashes at different points.

 

Bradley solidified himself as a legitimate rebounder last year and came up big in the playoffs multiple times. Furthermore, Bryant has the ability to stretch the floor (though not to Turner’s level) and was a solid backup last season. As for Jackson and Wiseman, both of them are coming off Achilles injuries, but they each provide a lot of intrigue and potential.

 

This is not a great situation for the Pacers to be in, but they still have a great opportunity to experiment a little with their roster and try different things out. As they aim to navigate the rest of the way without Turner, the Pacers will have a lot of questions to answer. However, not all is lost, and calling on some familiar faces might prove to be their best bet.

 

The Indiana Pacers will take a step back next season, but just how dire will things be?

 

The Indiana Pacers, perhaps more than any team in the NBA, had a rough offseason.

 

It started before the final buzzer, when Tyrese Haliburton went down with a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He will miss all of next season, and the Pacers let Myles Turner walk in free agency to their divisional rival, the Milwaukee Bucks.

 

Even before Turner walked, the Pacers were expected to struggle without Haliburton, but now with their best center seemingly Tony Bradley, next year will be full of experimentation.

 

Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker might command some trade value, but in a bigger role with a depleted depth chart, they are expected to thrive and expand upon their roles before a possible midseason trade.

 

“They’ll use this year to let Bennedict Mathurin explore the limits of his game, figure out what they have in 2023 lottery pick Jarace Walker, and scavenge for other roster upgrades,” predicted The Athletic’s John Hollinger.

 

Of course, the Pacers do have the means to pull themselves out of their newfound mediocrity, although ownership has already made it clear that they are not willing to spend massive sums.

 

“With roughly $22 million in room below the tax, plus their nontaxpayer MLE and biannual exceptions, Indy has the means to get a reasonable stopgap center,” Hllinger continued. “But it will be a step down from Turner and will make everything harder when the Pacers try to recreate their 2025 playoff magic in 2026-27.

 

Looking ahead, 2025-26 will certainly be a down year after being just 48 minutes away from a title, and expect a new-look team to take over in two seasons.

 

Check out the All Pacers homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.

 

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic shoots against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

 

The Dallas Mavericks were busy yesterday, even after signing D’Angelo Russell to a two-year $12 million deal shortly after free agency began on Monday, as Dallas also hired Frank Vogel to their coaching staff and re-signed Dante Exum to a one-year deal.

Exum re-signing with Dallas immediately sparks a looming trade question with the Mavericks considering they have 16 players on their roster currently, but Exum’s return was also coupled with Spencer Dinwiddie’s exit, as Dallas prioritized signing Exum over Dinwiddie in what projects to be Dallas’ final addition this offseason.

 

Dinwiddie signed a one-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets yesterday, as Mavericks fans will bid farewell to a player who basically devoted two seasons to the organization.

Who knows if Dinwiddie will ever come back to the Mavericks before his career is over, but if this is truly his last stop in Dallas, then it serves as unfortunate ending for him here and he never truly got the fair shot he was looking for in Dallas in terms of being a role player that can contribute on a championship team.

 

In 53 games with the Mavs during the 2022-23 season, Dinwiddie had arguably his most efficient and best season with a team throughout his entire career, as he averaged 17.7 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game with shooting splits of 45.5/40.5/82.1. Dinwiddie has never been the hallmark of efficiency from the guard spot, but that season in Dallas along with the 2022 playoff run he partook in months earlier will be moments that Mavericks fans cherish, as Dinwiddie was a great secondary playmaker and ball handler for this squad and hit multiple big-time game-winners, all the while playing some of the most efficient basketball of his career.

 

Spencer Dinwiddie never got a fair shot in his second Dallas go-around

However, Dinwiddie signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, spurning the Mavericks, after roughly a season with the Brooklyn Nets, and after being relegated to a 3-and-D role with the Lakers and having to incur a lot of wear-and-tear as one of Brooklyn’s only lead ball handlers at the time, the 32-year-old guard looked a little less quick and explosive in his second season with Dallas.

 

That being said, though, Dinwiddie had to carry the Mavericks through a tumultuous stretch after Luka Doncic was traded and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL, as he and Brandon Williams were oftentimes the only true shot creators in the lineup post-Irving’s ACL injury.

Dinwiddie fought valiantly for the Mavericks all season long, and there were certainly signs of the player Dallas had from 2022-23, as Dinwiddie can still fill it up when his in-between game gets going and he’s draining 3-pointers from up top when defenders are consistently going under on screens against him, but he simply wasn’t that version of himself often enough for Dallas not to have other priorities in free agency.

 

Dinwiddie can still be a serviceable guard off the bench, especially for a young team like Charlotte, which could use some veteran mentorship. However, it will always be extremely bittersweet for Dinwiddie that he ended up getting shipped from Dallas in February of 2023 as part of the Irving trade, only for the Mavericks to then make the Finals the following season when he’s not on the team.

 

Then, to cap that saga off in what could’ve been a great opportunity to compete for a title this past season had Doncic stayed around, Dinwiddie didn’t even get to play in the playoffs this past season for Dallas, as he carried them handily as the lead ball handler in the lineup alongside Williams to close the season only to get benched in the two most important games of the season during the Play-In Tournament.

 

Dinwiddie will always be a beloved player in Dallas for how hard he competed on a nightly basis, him being one of the more intelligent minds in the league, as well as the class and poise he brought to the lineup every night regardless of individual circumstances, so many Mavericks fans will always remember him as a fan-favorite if he whenever he comes back to the DFW metroplex.