Indiana Pacers’ James Wiseman (13) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson (13) during the … More
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers have re-signed center James Wiseman to a two-year contract.
Wiseman’s signing was originally revealed when Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard spoke with reporters in the Pacers practice facility on Monday. “We saw a lot of potential in him in the preseason and going up until his injury. Very long, very athletic, becoming a better shooter,” Pritchard said of Wiseman. “I think he’s getting to that point where his injury is allowing him to get on the court. Not full, but do a lot. And I think Jim Boylen has done a great job with him.”
The injury Pritchard noted is a torn Achilles that Wiseman sufferred in the first regular season game of the 2024-25 season. It held him out for the rest of the campaign, and the Pacers ultimately traded Wiseman to get his salary off of their books.
Even after the injury and trade, Wiseman rehabbed from his injury in Indianapolis. He could be seen in the Pacers practice facility down the stretch of the recent campaign – Indiana knows his recovery outlook better than anyone.
Why did the Pacers re-sign James Wiseman?
Now, he’s back with the franchise for a second season. Wiseman had six points and one rebound in his lone appearance for Indiana last season – a win over the Detroit Pistons.
“The minutes he was in there [weren’t] very long. Ended up being a six-point game, and he scored six points, so his minutes were meaningful,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlsile said that night.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – OCTOBER 17: James Wiseman #13 of the Indiana Pacers attempts a shot while … More
Wiseman turned 24 earlier this year. He’s still young despite being around for five NBA seasons, though two of them ended before they started. He was on the roster for the Golden State Warriors championship in 2022 and put up his best numbers (12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds per game) with the Pistons in 2022-23.
Because he is young and relatively inexperienced (just 148 career games), Wiseman’s signing with Indiana is once again a bet on the team’s ability to develop. That was the case last summer, too, but the Pacers new outlook actually makes a development bet make more sense now.
With Myles Turner departing for the Milwaukee Bucks and Tyrese Haliburton out for all of next season, the 2025-26 campaign could be more about a blend of winning and devleopment that recent Pacers seasons. Wiseman makes good sense in that environment, especially since Indiana clearly likes his skillset after signing him two years in a row. They also are comfortable with his rehab since they’ve seen it more than anyone.
“I just want to develop, I just want to learn. I don’t have any expectations or anything,” Wiseman said last summer after signing with the blue and gold. “This is already a winning team. So just coming in, just learning, just trying to see what I can do to [have an] impact.”
Wiseman is huge and has hops, an arcehtype worth betting on. In the preseason last year, Wiseman played in four games for Indiana – he averaged 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 70.8% from the field.
The Tennessee native signed a two-year contract with the Pacers. It’s a minimum-salary deal that contains a team option on the second season and is partially guarateed in both years. That’s a fairly team-friendly deal, but fair value for someone who hasn’t found his NBA footing yet.
Wiseman projects to be one on Indiana’s top three centers. Jay Huff and Tony Bradley are currently under contract for the blue and gold at the position, and Isaiah Jackson is trending toward a deal, accoridng to Prithcard. Jackson and Huff would likely be the top two bigs in the pecking order among that four, though all four are young and bring something different to the table.
The Pacers roster now has 14 players. Wiseman has averaged 9.1 points per game during his career.