Indiana Pacers: Kendall Brown signs two-way deal and others join roster
The Indiana Pacers brought in new faces to participate in their training camp. Also, they signed second-round draft pick Kendall Brown to a two-way contract.
The Indiana Pacers brought in new faces to participate in their training camp. Also, they signed second-round draft pick Kendall Brown to a two-way contract. This was the plan for some time, but as I reported months ago, a two-way deal was always the plan.
Several members of the Indiana Pacers crew are back in town as preseason approaches fast. Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, and most of the younger players were pictured at a team practice earlier this week. Veteran players will be joining them soon, as we are well under a month until preseason begins.
The Indiana Pacers have 15 rostered players. Additionally, the Pacers signed forwards Bennie Boatwright, and guards Gabe York and David Stockton who will be on their training camp roster. York was on the Mad Ants last season and made his way to the Pacers squad to end the year on a two-way deal himself. David Stockton was traded to the Mad Ants a few weeks ago and has now signed with the Pacers squad to compete for a roster spot. Bennie Boatwright also spent last season in Fort Wayne.
The team is allowed to hold 20 players through this time and must make final cuts to 15 players. All teams are allowed (2) two-way contracted players in addition to the 15 standard contract players.
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants made a trade on Wednesday, Sept. 14th bringing in a new center and an additional draft pick in 2023. Norvel Pelle will make his way to Indiana from the Cleveland Charge after spending some time with their G-League squad.
Pelle has played for five different NBA teams since being drafted in 2014 and has played in a total of 40 NBA games.
According to a report from Thursday, Sept. 15th, the Indiana Pacers plan to bring two NBA veterans to their training camp roster. Evan Sidedery of BasketballNews.com says, “the Pacers are expected to bring in veterans James Johnson and Langston Galloway to training camp”.
Johnson was drafted in 2009 by the Chicago Bulls and spent two seasons with them before being traded to Toronto. Johnson has played over 700 games over his career and most recently spent time with the Brooklyn Nets last season. He averaged 5.5 points a game and 3.7 rebounds in 62 games.
Now at the age of 35, Johnson could play the veteran role as well as fill a depth spot at the wing if all goes well. This is a solid addition to the team’s training camp and will be interesting to see how his Indiana tenure unfolds.
Langston Galloway played for both the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets during the 2021-22 NBA season. He played fourteen games over that span and averaged around 15 minutes a game. Galloway stands 6’ 1’’ tall and is just over 30 years old.
Kendall Brown was the last of the Indiana Pacers rookies to be signed to a contract. Brown’s contract will be different than his fellow draftees in Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard. Brown will sign a two-way deal, whereas Mathurin and Nembhard are standard contracts.
The Indiana Pacers signed Kendall Brown to a two-way contract
Brown was the 48th pick in the 2022 NBA draft, and the Pacers were aggressive in acquiring him. They traded a 2026 second-round pick and cash to Minnesota in exchange for the pick used on Brown for his draft rights. The Front Office spoke highly of him after the draft concluded.
Signing a two-way contract will allow two things to happen:
With depth available ahead of him, the 19-year-old will be able to get in-game experience in Fort Wayne with the Mad Ants.
The Pacers have a roster spot to fill.
The Pacers G-League affiliate was busy last season, as numerous players were poached either to join the Pacers squad or to another NBA team. Justin Anderson, Terry Taylor, Duane Washington Jr, and Keifer Sykes all got call-ups, with a few others last season.
Brown can play and take advantage of the in-game experience, which will help build his confidence. Terry Taylor took full advantage of his opportunity in Fort Wayne last season and it earned him a multi-year contract with the Pacers.
According to the G-League website, “NBA teams may have up to two players under NBA Two-Way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team”.
Here is a breakdown of how two-way contract players will be compensated for the 2022-23 season:
Brown can develop his game on this two-way deal, and there is no better place to do that than with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Brown averaged 9.4 points a game and grabbed 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 21 minutes a game in the summer league.
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