Pacers Re-Signing Jalen Slawson To Two-Way Contract

Slawson received a two-way qualifying offer from Indiana in June, so in all likelihood, he’s simply signing that QO. It’s equivalent to a one-year, two-way contract with a partial guarantee worth $91K.

The 54th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Furman University, Slawson played just 12 games for Sacramento as a rookie and spent most of the next two seasons in the G League before getting a shot with the Pacers on a two-way deal at the end of February. The 6’7″ forward appeared in 13 games for Indiana down the stretch, averaging 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .442/.375/.706.

As we noted earlier today, Slawson had an eventful Summer League this month, showing off his impressive athleticism while also making his share of mistakes. The 26-year-old averaged 20.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and an eye-popping 3.2 blocks in 26.3 minutes per game. However, he also knocked down just 9-of-31 three-pointers (29.0%), committed 3.6 turnovers per contest, and committed 22 personal fouls, the seventh-most of any player in Las Vegas.

Slawson will join Kobe Brown and Ethan Thompson as the three Pacers on two-way contracts, though the team reportedly plans to sign second-round pick Braden Smith to a two-way deal sooner or later. That would require waiving one of Slawson, Brown, or Thompson.

Assuming Slawson remains on his two-way contract into the season, he’ll earn up to $678,882 and can be active for as many as 50 regular season games. The Pacers would have the ability to shuttle him back and forth between the NBA and the team’s G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom.