Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time was the deadline for NBA teams to waive players before their contracts became fully guaranteed for the rest of the ongoing season. For the Pacers, the only player that deadline applied to was veteran forward James Johnson.
Indiana inked Johnson to a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum deal 23 days before that date, meaning they had just over three weeks to determine if he was worth keeping around for the remainder of the current campaign. He was with the Pacers in 2022-23, though, so the franchise had a pretty good idea of what his value is.
He is important and adds wisdom and toughness to the younger Pacers roster. He has appeared in four games this season, but most of his contributions come in the locker room and away from the arena. He is a great connector of teammates, and he was very happy to return to Indiana.
"I don't think I would have went back for any other call other than the Pacers," Johnson told AllPacers last month.
The blue and gold had to determine if they wanted to keep Johnson and guarantee his $1.4 million cap hit for the rest of the season. And over the weekend, the front office made no moves. They did not waive the veteran forward, which AllPacers reported on yesterday, meaning Johnson's contract is now fully guaranteed for the rest of the season.
He is averaging 1.0 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 rebounds per game this season in his quartet of appearances. During his most recent outing, Johnson had two points, one rebound, one assist, and three steals against the Atlanta Hawks.
"Good for him, and good for his kids to see, too," Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton said of Johnson's dunk during that game.
The Pacers now have a maximum of $8.2 million in cap space for the rest of the season, barring trades. They can use that space to bring in another player via a signing or swap, but they would have to clear a roster spot in some way to do so. Clearly, the Pacers thought that keeping a vet like Johnson around was the best possible use of that roster space.
"He has great respect from all the guys," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Johnson. "He's seen it all... he has a very good way of communicating to guys."
Johnson, 36, is in his 15th NBA season. He is the oldest player on Indiana's roster and has over 750 regular season games under his belt. He reached the Eastern Conference Finals with the Toronto Raptors in 2016, and his experience both with the Pacers and with other franchises is valued.
He will stick with the Pacers going forward, which was the smart decision for a young team in need of solid veterans.
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