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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 7: Jalen Slawson #18 of the Orlando Magic recovers a loose ball as Jamal Cain #8 and Karlo Matkovic #17 of the New Orleans Pelicans defend during the second half of a preseason game at the Smoothie King Center on October 7, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Derick E. Hingle\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 Last week, the Indiana Pacers signed forward Jalen Slawon to an Exhibit 10 contract<\/a>. Sometimes, such deals are simply a procedural transaction with G League rights in mind, and that might end up being the final result for Slawson when it comes to his time with the Pacers. But over the weekend, the 25-year old attended an Indianapolis Colts game with his teammates, and later it was confirmed that the Furman product will be in training camp with the blue and gold<\/a>. He\u2019ll get more opportunity than many Exhibit 10 signees, who are just added with finances and the G League in mind.<\/p>\n Slawson has 12 games of NBA experience under his belt. He played for the Sacramento Kings in 2023-24 after being selected 54th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he averaged 0.7 points per game. Last year, he appeared in a few preseason games for the Orlando Magic but was with their G League outfit for the entire regular season.<\/p>\n The Pacers G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, acquired Slawson\u2019s rights via a trade in August. If he\u2019s waived by the Pacers during training camp, he could end up with the Boom and receive a monetary bonus if he stays there for 60 days thanks to his Exhibit 10 deal. He\u2019s a quality ball handler and defender on the wing.<\/p>\n The fact that Slawson is coming to camp could be a sign that a battle for the Pacers final roster spot(s) is coming. His Exhibit 10 deal is a one-year, minimum-salary agreement that is completely non guaranteed. He joins James Wiseman and Tony Bradley as players on Indiana\u2019s roster<\/a> with contracts that aren\u2019t fully guaranteed ahead of the coming season.<\/p>\n What could the Pacers roster battle look like in training camp?<\/p>\n It\u2019s a similar situation to the one the Pacers were in last year<\/a>. They had one extra player in training camp as Cole Swider and Kendall Brown battled for a roster spot. In the end, though, neither player made the team \u2013 finances played a big part in that decision and are less of a restriction this season for the Pacers.<\/p>\n For a possible 2025 roster battle, there may be more players and considerations involved for Indiana. Bradley and Slawson are on contracts with no guaranteed money, but Slawson\u2019s Exhibit 10 deal could be converted to a two-way contract at any time \u2013 and he\u2019s eligible for such a deal. That adds other Pacers players, including those currently on two-way deals (Quenton Jackson, RayJ Dennis, and Taelon Peter), into the possible roster-battle mix.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s needs will be a factor. As things stand, Indiana has four centers signed to a standard contract (Bradley, Wiseman, Isaiah Jackson, and Jay Huff) but just two natural point guards (Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell \u2013 rookie Kam Jones is of unknown impact). While both Q Jackson and Dennis can play point guard in a pinch, they\u2019re on two-way agreements and limited in the number of games they can play in the regular season. Indiana may need another point guard on the roster and could consider converting the contract of Q Jackson or Dennis to a standard deal \u2013 though they\u2019d have to waive a player by opening night to do so.<\/p>\n But Indiana might need all of their centers. Four may seem superfluous, but two of them (I Jackson and Wiseman) are recovering from Achilles tears. They may be limited in either availability or ability early in the season. Having more depth could, pending health, be of importance.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe the center position is more of a swiss army knife type thing. We\u2019ll have to see. We have Huff, we have Isaiah Jackson, we have Wiseman. Tony Bradley is going to be in camp,\u201d Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle shared during a radio interview last month<\/a>. \u201cSo there\u2019s four guys that are going to be slugging it out for presumably three center spots. So as we get into it, we\u2019ll see what\u2019s what.\u201d<\/p>\n OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 29: Branden Carlson #15 of the Oklahoma City Thunder collides with Tony Bradley #13 of the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter Paycom Center on March 29, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by William Purnell\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n So, Indiana might need another point guard but might also need additional center depth. If McConnell or Nembhard were to miss time, the blue and gold would be very light on experienced ball handling.<\/p>\n