Pacers Sign Former First-Round Pick Big Ahead of Postseason

Ricardo Klein | Mar 23, 2025

Mar 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) drives to the basket and shoots the ball over Indiana Pacers center Tony Bradley (13) in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have signed former first-round pick center Tony Bradley for the rest of the season.

The team announced via X on Sunday.

we have signed center Tony Bradley. https://t.co/gOTGzQD2YZ pic.twitter.com/gQVJHeSznb

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 23, 2025

The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

The 6-foot-11 center signed a 10-day deal with the Pacers at the start of the month. Bradley is coming off an array of 10-day contracts, and the Pacers decided to keep him for the rest of the season.

The big man has averaged 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in seven appearances for the Pacers so far, and he’s knocked down 10 of his 12 shot attempts.

Bradley was recently with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks G League affiliate.

Bradley did not play in the NBA last season, as he spent most of his time with the Texas Legends in the G League. Since being selected 28th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, the 27-year-old has appeared in 179 regular season games for four NBA teams prior to this stint with Indiana.

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted him with the pick, but he was traded to the Utah Jazz the same night. He holds career averages of 4.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 11.1 minutes per game with the Jazz, Philadephia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Chicago Bulls.

He has also played in the NBA G League since the start of the 2024-25 campaign, appearing in 24 total Tip-Off Tournament and regular season games for the Skyhawks and averaging 14.0 points per game, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in just 22.8 minutes of action.

The former North Carolina Tar Heel is 6-foot-11 and weighs 248 pounds. The Jazz traded him and the draft right to Saben Lee to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for cash considerations. The next day, the Sixers traded Bradley for Zhaire Smith.

The Pacers have lacked frontcourt depth since the start of the season, losing James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to Achilles injuries early in the season. Indiana has gone through an array of big men, from Moses Brown, Thomas Bryant, and Jahlil Okafor before Bradley.

The expectation was that the Pacers would trade for another big man after Bryant, but that was not the case.

It's unclear whether Bradley's role will increase or not.

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