Pacers' Daniel Theis out indefinitely following knee surgery

Veteran Pacers reserve center Daniel Theis will be sidelined for the indefinite future, the team has announced in a press release. Theis was dealing with recurring right knee soreness, which Indiana addressed surgically. The Pacers noted in their statement that Theis’ “status will be updated as appropriate.”

This is not a major loss in terms of on-court contributions. Theis, 30, has yet to play in a single game for Indiana this season. Theis has spent the majority of his career with the Celtics, outside of half-year stints with the Bulls and Rockets.

The 6-foot-8 big man inked a four-year deal worth up to $36M with Houston in a 2021 sign-and-trade, but was subsequently flipped back to the Celtics midway through the season. Cumulatively last year, he appeared in 47 contests, averaging 8.2 PPG on 51.9% field-goal shooting, plus 4.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.7 blocks, across just 20.8 MPG. His $8.7M 2022-23 salary was included in Boston’s offseason acquisition of former Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon.

Indiana seems to be doing admirably even without Theis cracking its rotation. The rebuilding club is off to a solid 5-6 start this season, good for the Eastern Conference’s No. 10 seed.