The Indiana pacers are adding some extra back court talent. Monte Morris, a free agent guard, has agreed to a one-year contract with the team, ESPN Shams Charania reported.
The agreement is non guaranteed, and it is an Exhibit 9 deal, according to various reports. Such an agreement cushions both the team and the player- in case Monte Morris is injured, the Indianapolis would pay him \$15,000 and this would be taken into consideration in the salary cap.
At 30 years, Monte Morris is a reliable veteran who has eight seasons of NBA. He is contracted to play with five teams, namely Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves and most recently, the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix The 6-foot-2 guard made 45 appearances off the bench last season with averages of 5.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 rebounds and shot 42.6% and 36% respectively out of field and three.
The Pacers are coming off a season to the NBA Finals and are in training to face a challenging year without one of their star players and point guard Tyrese Haliburton who tore his Achilles during the eventual Game 7 of the championship series. Nevertheless, Indiana has a rich pool of players, and the inclusion of Morris provides them with an alternative backcourt player that is experienced.
This is what the depth chart of the Pacers would look like with Morris included to it (through RealGM and CBS Sports):
- Point Guard: Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Monte Morris, RayJ Dennis.
- Shooting Guard: Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, Kam Jones, Quenton Jackson, Taelon Peter.
- Small Forward: Aaron Nesmith, Johnny Furphy, and Jalen Slawson.
- Power Forward: Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin.
- Center Jay Huff/Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman, Tony Bradley.
The camp begins on Sept. 29, and the opening of the preseason by the Pacers is scheduled on the 7 of October. The regular season starts on Oct. 23, with Indiana playing Oklahoma City Thunder in a repeat of the 2025 NBA Finals.
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