Portland Claims Former Pacer Off Waivers

Mar 10, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Indiana Pacers center Micah Potter (11) is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Portland Claims Former Pacer Off Waivers

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Alex Golden | Last updated Jul 11, 2026 9:59 AM ET

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Micah Potter, the former Indiana Pacers big man, was officially waived by the team on Thursday afternoon once Indiana agreed to a veteran's minimum contract with Larry Nance Jr.

Potter was brought into the Pacers organization on December 26, and had a terrific season with the team in an extended role. The five-year veteran averaged 9.7 points, on 51.5% shooting from the field, 42.3% from three and 84.2% from the free throw line.

In 19.3 minutes per game, Potter was extremely efficient and added 5.0 rebounds per contest. The career year in Indiana for the former Detroit Piston and Utah Jazz, was not all for naught. After being waived by the blue and gold, Potter was claimed by an up-and-coming Western Conference team, the Portland Trail Blazers, according to the official NBA transaction log.

Portland Adds Potter to Center Depth

This offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers were in the thick of the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown trade discussions, but elected to keep their young core intact, and made a less splashy move, acquiring Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Potter's best friend and Pacers' backup center, Jay Huff, spent one season with Morant in Memphis. Morant is hoping to have a bounce back year after playing in just 79 games the last three seasons.

Portland also re-signed unrestricted free agent, Robert Williams III, to a new 3-year $43.5M contract, and are excited to have him backing up their 22 year old center from UConn, Donovan Clingan, who was deemed "untouchable" in trade discussions.

In the 2025 NBA Draft, the Trail Blazers drafted the 7-foot-1 big man out of China, Yang Hansen, with the 16th overall pick. He played a total of 300 minutes, and continues to develop his game.

Why Potter Made Sense to Pickup for Portland

In his lone game against the Trail Blazers last season, Potter scored 13 points on 4-9 shooting, going 3-7 from three. He was only a -1 in the Trail Blazers 20-point victory, and played just over 15 minutes.

With an already loaded center room, it was a bit surprising to see Potter get picked up by Portland, but at 6-foot-9 and a sweet three-point stroke, it makes sense for the Trail Blazers to add a versatile piece to their depth chart.

Last season, the Trail Blazers rostered four centers before the season started, but traded away Duop Reath to the Atlanta Hawks in a salary dumping move with Reath ruled out for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. Centers are a premium in today's game and you can never have too much depth. This puts the Trial Blazers at 14 players on their current roster.

Potter's NBA journey continues after getting a grander opportunity with the Pacers. He proved in a short amount of time with Indiana why he is deserving of being on a 15-man roster, and now gets to continue writing his story with Portland, but this time as a dad.