Last season, the Indiana Pacers finished 47-35. That was sixth in the Eastern Conference and they narrowly avoided the play-in tournament. Indiana made it to the Conference Finals in the 2024 playoffs but lost in four games to the Celtics. The Pacers have all intentions of running it back with the same team they had in 2023-24.
Today, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Pacers are signing a free agent. Former lottery pick James Wiseman is signing a two-year deal with Indiana. Myles Turner starts at center for the Pacers but Wiseman can be a solid backup. This is his third team in what will be his fourth professional season in 2024-45.
Former lottery pick James Wiseman is signing a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers
Free agent center James Wiseman has agreed on a two-year contract with the Indiana Pacers, sources tell ESPN. Wiseman was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/UBA9Yhlejx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2024
With the second pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman out of Memphis. Coming out of college, Wiseman was dealing with injuries. He played just three games for the Tigers in 2019-20 after sustaining an ankle injury. Even with the limited playing time, the big man was still a highly-touted prospect. That’s why Golden State took a chance and drafted James Wiseman. At the time, he was exactly the type of player that the Warriors needed.
However, terrible injury luck followed Wiseman into the NBA. As a rookie, he played in 39 games for the Warriors and made 27 starts. Wiseman averaged (11.5) points and (5.8) rebounds per game. Ahead of his sophomore season, Wiseman suffered a knee injury and missed the entire year. Golden State went on to win the NBA Finals in 2022 and all Wiseman could do was watch from the bench. In 2022-23, he was traded at the deadline to the Detroit Pistons. His rookie deal was up at the end of the 2023-24 season and Wiseman was a free agent this offseason. He ended up signing a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers.
James Wiseman has signed a two-year deal with the Pacers, per @wojespn.
The former No. 2 overall pick now gets the opportunity to be spoon-fed easy looks alongside Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell. pic.twitter.com/rSG7sFrN8w
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 2, 2024
Wiseman’s 2023-24 campaign was the healthiest of his career. The 23-year-old played in 63 games for the Pacers and made six starts. He was a backup for Detroit with lottery pick Jalen Duren starting at center. Now, Wiesman is in Indiana and will be the backup big man for the Pacers behind Myles Turner. He should fit in nicely with the Pacers playing alongside savvy guards like Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, and Andrew Nembhard.
