CLEVELAND, OHIO – NOVEMBER 21: T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers shoots over Larry Nance Jr. #22 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena on November 21, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 120-109. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers plan to sign center Larry Nance Jr to a contract that approaches $4 million in value.
More specifically, it’s a minimum-salary agreement between Nance and the Pacers. By virtue of being an 11-year veteran, Nance qualifies for the largest possible minimum salary in the NBA, which comes in at $3.88 million for the coming season. If he’s signed to a one-year deal, the Pacers will only carry a cap hit of $2.45 million, with the difference in those two numbers being reimbursed by the NBA.
Nance, 33, spent last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a depth big man for the Eastern Conference Finalists, averaging 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game across 35 appearances. He played in two playoff games for the Cavs.
His most productive days are behind him – Nance averaged over 10 points per game for Cleveland in 2019-20 – but he’s still a sage veteran that can contribute in a pinch. The Wyoming product was a rotation player for the New Orleans Pelicans as recently as two seasons ago and averaged 8.5 points per game for the Atlanta Hawks in 2024-25.
Now, he joins a Pacers frontcourt group that contains Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, Ivica Zubac, Jay Huff, Johnny Furphy, Kelly Oubre, Jarace Walker, and Micah Potter. Nance is smaller for a center but has primarily operated on the interior during his career, so he projects to be in the mix as a backup five with Huff and Potter. That trio all provides vastly different skills.
Nance is perhaps the best rebounder of the group, while Potter is more mobile and shot it well from beyond the arc last season. Huff was one of the NBA’s best shot blockers last season and has been a solid three-point shooter in the past. The Pacers will have to sort out what skills they value most among that group.
What does Larry Nance bring to the Pacers off the court?
Something else Nance provides is a great locker room presence. He’s long been regarded as an elite leader behind the scenes, a trait that has been valued by several different franchises.
“He’s a great dude, great leader, great basketball player, great overall dude, and I told him today I got a new profound respect for dudes that play a long time in this league ’cause this league is a monster,” Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson said of Nance last season.
Nance would be the 15th player under a standard contract with the Pacers, which is the most a team can have in the regular season. During the offseason, that number is 21, but the blue and gold are approaching a full complement of players.
The next steps for the Pacers will be figuring out how to fit Nance into the team’s salary structure. By signing Oubre to a contract using the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, Indiana is hard capped at the first apron, and they currently sit about $1.8 million below that hard cap number.
Nance’s salary will be more than that $1.8 million difference, so the Pacers will have to sort out their cap sheet to make this deal happen. If Nance is signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, it wouldn’t count against the salary cap until the regular season begins. But even if that route is taken, the Pacers would still have to make a waiver or cost-cutting move at some point before opening night in order to duck the first apron.
As of now, Micah Potter (completely non-guaranteed) and Quenton Jackson ($275k guaranteed) are the only two Pacers that aren’t on guaranteed contracts. Waiving either of those two players would give Indiana enough room under the first apron hard cap to sign Nance to his minimum deal. And of course, the Pacers could make a salary-reducing trade in order to free up apron room.
There is still business to be done by the Pacers. And among that business will be adding Nance, a veteran with experience who will become the team’s second-oldest player behind guard T.J. McConnell.