Pacers Expected to Cut Big Man Ahead of 2025-26 Season: Report

Jan 30, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard speaks during an Indiana Pacers press conference to announce the contract extension of center Miles Turner at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers team president of basketball operation Kevin Pritchard faces a tough decision ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.

Per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, Indiana is anticipated to ditch at least one of the many centers (four, in fact) it's carrying on its roster to deal with the absence of 2024-25 3-and-D starter Myles Turner, who defected for a $108.9 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

New updates on @ClutchPoints regarding Malik Beasley being cleared from his gambling investigation and what the future holds for him.

Along with the Pistons, league sources name the Knicks and Pacers as potential suitors. https://t.co/GaaHtbCVxd

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 22, 2025

This summer, Indiana brought back a pair of reserve big men who had torn their Achilles tendons in the early days of the season, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman.

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The Pacers also traded for Jay Huff. Indiana decided to let sharpshooting backup big man Thomas Bryant go (he remains unsigned), but for now has its other reserve center, Tony Bradley, rostered. As Siegel explains, two centers in particular seem to be competing for that third and likely final rotation slot.

"Although the Pacers have a full 15-man roster at this moment, it is expected that they won't keep both James Wiseman and Tony Bradley entering the 2025-26 season," Siegel reveals. "Both players have non-guaranteed contracts and can be leveraged if Indiana looks to make a roster upgrade."

A Tale of Two Centers

The 7-foot Wiseman, still just 24, was selected with the No. 2 pick out of Memphis in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, ahead of future All-Stars LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton. The injury-prone big man has bounced around a bit since then, with a stint on the Detroit Pistons before landing with Indiana last year. He appeared in just one healthy game with the Pacers, scoring six points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor and 2-fo-2 shooting from the foul line in five minutes.

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As the No. 28 pick out of North Carolina in 2017, the 6-foot-10 Bradley, 27, never had to grapple with the weight of lottery expectations. The journeyman big has already played for five NBA squads in his seven completed seasons. He latched on with Indiana late into the year to complement Thomas Bryant off the bench — Bradley brought the rim protection, while Bryant supplied the (fitful) jump shooting.

In 14 regular season bouts, Bradley averaged 4.4 points on 64.4 percent shooting from the field, plus 3.0 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in just 8.1 minutes per. He appeared in 11 playoff games during Indiana's run to the NBA Finals this past spring and summer for spot minutes.

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.