Chad Buchanan, Ted Wu speak on upcoming Indiana Pacers season
Chad Buchanan, Indiana Pacers general manager, and Ted Wu, Indiana’s vice president of basketball operations and cap management, speak Sept. 25, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers had to change direction in their pursuit of a veteran point guard for depth behind Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, but they apparently will have one in camp when practice begins Monday.
The Pacers reached an agreement to sign veteran Monte Morris earlier this week but did not complete the signing because Pacers medical staff determined that a calf strain he recently suffered would keep him out most of training camp, according to league sources. The Pacers will instead bring veteran guard Delon Wright to training camp on a non-guaranteed contract, league sources said. The contract would become fully guaranteed if he is still on the roster by Jan. 10.
The Pacers held a press conference Thursday with general manager Chad Buchanan and vice president of basketball operations Ted Wu. Buchanan confirmed Morris’ injury.
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“Monte Morris unfortunately has a calf strain issue that’s going to keep him out for a couple of weeks, so he will not be in training camp with us while he’s getting healthy,” Buchanan said. “Monte was a guy, we were looking for some guard depth and we’ll continue to look for some guard depth there.”
Wright averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 assists per game last season in 40 total appearances with the Bucks and Knicks. He was acquired by New York in a four-team deal at the deadline and played in 14 regular season games with the Knicks, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 assists. He made six appearances off the bench in the playoffs including five in the Knicks’ six-game Eastern Conference Finals series against the Pacers. He scored a combined seven points in those games.
The 33-year-old Wright is about to enter his 11th season in the NBA and the Pacers would be his 11th team. The 6-5, 185-pounder is averaging 6.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for his career with high-water marks of 10.2 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game in 2020-21.
Adding a third experienced point guard to the mix has been a priority with All-Star Tyrese Haliburton out for the season with a torn right Achilles tendon. Though Nembhard has started at shooting guard next to Haliburton for the last three seasons, his natural position is point guard and he’s started there whenever Haliburton has had shorter-term injuries. McConnell has established himself as one of the NBA’s best backup point guards, leading the NBA players in total assists off the bench last season. However, Nembhard’s responsibilities will be heavy on both ends of the floor and McConnell will turn 34 in late March, so the Pacers have to be prepared in case either one of them has to miss time. The Pacers traded back into the draft to acquire Marquette star Kam Jones with the No. 38 pick, but Jones played just one season at point guard and the Pacers wanted more experience.
However, Wright will still have to fight for his spot because the Pacers will enter camp with 16 players on standard contracts. Teams are allowed to carry up to 18 in training camp but have to cut down to 15 by the season opener. Center Tony Bradley is also on a non-guaranteed contract and would likely be let go if the Pacers decide to keep Wright, but they have to at least consider keeping him because of the state of the center position. The Pacers lost starter Myles Turner and backup Thomas Bryant to free agency. They acquired Jay Huff in a trade from the Memphis Grizzlies and re-signed Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, but Jackson and Wiseman are coming off Achilles tendon tears suffered at the beginning of last season.
“The 15th roster spot is going to be a camp battle,” Wu said. “Listening to our coaches, having more ball-handlers and more play-making is important to them. As we talked about some of the centers, we’re still dealing with a few injuries, so we’re kind of balancing positionally what our options are. … Tony will be here for training camp and we’ll see if there’s somebody else at the guard spot that we’ll bring in.”
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