What Should Indiana Pacers Do With Open Roster Spot?

BROOKLYN – With the trade deadline having passed, the Indiana Pacers don’t have a full roster. The team has three two-way contract players, but only 14 guys on standard contracts, just under the maximum of 15.

As of this writing, the Pacers total team spending this season is about $730k less than the NBA’s luxury tax threshold for the 2025-26 season. That means the team has enough wiggle room under that spending line to add a 15th player without becoming a taxpaying team. Given the team’s poor record, the luxury tax line should be an upper spending limit for the franchise this league year, but Indiana can now fill its roster without crossing that barrier.

More specifically, the team can fill their open roster spot at any point between now and the end of the season with a deal that starts under $730k, either via a minimum-salary deal or by dipping into their Mid-Level Salary Exception. And they should add someone – having a full roster and using every available resource is smart business.

“We’ve got to be mindful of the tax as we go through things, but there’s a timing and sequence that gives us the possibility to do something there,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of the Pacers open spot on the roster.

What considerations do the Pacers have for their open roster spot?

But there are other considerations for the Pacers, particularly on the calendar, when it comes to making transactions. And those considerations will all come to a head in the next week as the team figures out the back of its roster.

March 1 is the first date of significance. That is the last day for what is colloquially known as the buyout market. Often, between the trade deadline and March 1, teams and players determine that their contractual obligation to each other doesn’t make much sense for the rest of the season.

In order to make splitting up a win-win move, the team and player will agree to a buyout, meaning the team will waive a player in exchange for getting some guaranteed salary removed from their contract. Almost always, the player makes up the amount given up in the buyout by signing with another team. So the player doesn’t lose money and their old team can proceed with a roster spot, of which they can use for something they deem more appropriate.

March 1 is viewed as the end of the buyout market because it is the last day a player can be waived, then later sign with another team and still be eligible for the playoffs. If a player is released after that date, they lose postseason eligibility.

For the Pacers, it may be worth seeing if a player that they want becomes available between now and March 1. Jeremy Sochan, for example, was waived by the San Antonio Spurs before signing with the New York Knicks earlier this month. While Indiana may not have wanted Sochan, he is a young and skilled player. More talent of note may hit free agency in the coming week.

The second date the Pacers will be cognizant of is March 4. That’s the final day that NBA teams can sign players to two-way contracts this season, which adds an additional wrinkle to the Pacers plans.

While the Pacers don’t currently have an open two-way contract slot, they could if they opted to promote one of their current players on a two-way deal to a standard contract. And one candidate stands out for that type of transaction for multiple reasons: Quenton Jackson.

Contractual factors play a part in Jackson being by far the most likely Pacers two-way player to have his deal converted to a standard contract. Jackson is currently on a one-year deal, meaning he will be a free agent in the offseason. That is not true of Indiana’s other two-way contract players – both Ethan Thompson and Taelon Peter are signed to two-year, two-way contracts.

Jackson has reached four years of service in the NBA, meaning he isn’t eligible for a two-way deal next season. If the Pacers want to keep him beyond the current campaign, they’d need to sign him to a standard contract anyway.

And that brings the team to the main reason they may want to convert Jackson to a standard contract and retain him beyond this season: he’s a talented player. Ever since stepping into a bigger role in late 2024, the athletic guard has proven that he can contribute and give the blue and gold rotation-level minutes in a pinch. He is averaging 9.1 points and 2.1 assists per game this season – both numbers are career-best marks.

He has played in 60 games for the Pacers across the last three seasons, all of which have come on different two-way deals. In 27 outings for the Pacers G League affiliate team, Jackson has averaged 22.1 points and 5.7 assists per game.

Converting Jackson to a standard deal, and perhaps a multi-year one, would fill the Pacers final open roster spot and free up a two-way contract slot. It could also allow the team to keep Jackson as a depth piece beyond this season. Jackson is skilled and athletic, and he fits Indiana’s style well.

“[Jackson is] definitely a real possibility. Quenton’s been awesome. He was fantastic last night, and he’s a big part of our culture in our locker room,” Buchanan said of Jackson perhaps getting the team’s final roster spot.

If that is the route the Pacers decide to take, they would then be able to sign a player to a two-way contract. That sequence of transactions is how they landed Jackson in the first place back in 2024. There are endless candidates for a two-way deal, but if the Pacers look to add a wing after losing Johnny Furphy to injury, Jalen Slawson may be a good fit. He is in the Pacers program via their G League affiliate and played for Indiana during the 2025 preseason.

Because the Pacers can’t sign a two-way contract player after March 4, if they decide to convert Jackson they would almost certainly do so before that date so they can backfill his two-way spot. Between that and the buyout market, the Pacers could fill out their roster within the next week or so. A young player or a familiar face makes too much sense.