Enrique Freeman becomes unrestricted free agent

The Pacers have withdrawn their two-way qualifying offer to forward Enrique Freeman, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Freeman, who will turn 25 on Tuesday, was the 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 22 NBA games as a rookie for Indiana, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per contest.

While Freeman’s impact at the NBA level was very limited, he played well in the G League, averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 14 outings for the Indiana Mad Ants last season. He also had a strong Summer League showing in Las Vegas this month, registering averages of 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 BPG with an incredible 72.5% mark on field goal attempts, including 55.6% on three-pointers.

However, RayJ Dennis and Quenton Jackson hold two of the Pacers’ two-way slots and it appears likely that second-round pick Taelon Peter will get the third, as general manager Chad Buchanan confirmed during a recent appearance on the Setting The Pace podcast (YouTube link). That left Freeman as the odd man out.

The deadline to unilaterally withdraw a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer passed earlier this month, but teams are still permitted to rescind those QOs with the player’s consent, so it’s safe to assume Freeman signed off on this move. Becoming an unrestricted free agent will allow him to choose his next opportunity without Indiana controlling the process.