INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers’ recent injuries at the center position have forced them to make yet another roster move.
The Pacers are signing center Micah Potter — who has been playing with the Austin Spurs of the G League this season — to a non-guaranteed contract and waiving sharpshooting guard Garrison Mathews to make space, a league source confirmed to the IndyStar. Pacers center Isaiah Jackson suffered a concussion on Monday after taking an elbow from Boston’s Neemias Queta and center Tony Bradley is available but dealing with a fractured right thumb. The Pacers had James Wiseman on a 10-day hardship exception contract, but that expired and the Pacers will not be granted another hardship exception at this time, a league source said.
Potter’s contract is a one-plus-one contract for the rest of this season with a team option for next year, a league source said.
Tony East of Forbes and the Locked On Network had the story first.
Potter — who was part of the Team USA Select team for the 2024 Olympics and one of three players who stayed on Team USA for their exhibition schedule — averaged 15.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game with the Austin Spurs this season. The 6-9, 248-pound 27-year-old shot 47.6% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point range and 81.3% from the free throw line. The former Wisconsin star has appeared in 64 NBA games and started 10 — appearing in 61 with the Jazz and three with the Pistons. Last season on a two-way contract with the Jazz, he averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and hit 31 of 98 3-point attempts. In 146 career G League games, he’s averaging 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Mathews averaged 5.2 points per game in 15 games with the Pacers since initially signing a 10-day hardship exception contract on Nov. 20. After a tough initial 10 days, he was signed to a second 10-day deal and performed better before being signed to a non-guaranteed deal for the rest of the season. He made 21 of 52 field goal attempts including 17 of 46 3-pointers.
Potter is the ninth player the Pacers have signed to a non-guaranteed, 10-day or two-way contract since the season began thanks to an array of injuries that have kept the Pacers constantly in flux. Mathews is the sixth player the Pacers have had to waive since opening day. Wiseman was the first player waived. The NBA’s hardship exception rules allow teams to sign players beyond the 15-man limit for standard contracts and the three-man limit for two-way deals if they have four players who have missed at least three consecutive games with injuries who are also expected to miss an additional two weeks. The Pacers (6-24) have met that threshold since the season’s fourth game.
All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is out for season with an Achilles tendon tear and forward Obi Toppin is out until at least February with a stress fracture in his right foot. Wings Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard and Jackson have been ruled out for Friday night’s game against the Celtics. However, if the Pacers are no longer eligible for the hardship exception, that means that Nesmith or Sheppard or both is expected to return some time in the next two weeks.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers sign Micah Potter, waive Garrison Mathews due to center injuries