Pacers, James Wiseman on verge of major free agent decision

Billy Heyen

Pacers, James Wiseman on verge of major free agent decision image

James Wiseman's Pacers tenure needs a do-over.

He began the 2024-25 season with Indiana, then tore his Achilles in the very first game of the regular season.

It sounds like Wiseman will get a chance to run it back. Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard told reporters that Indiana planned to sign Wiseman on Monday.

Wiseman was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Memphis.

The 7-foot lefty was expected to be a transcendent NBA player. Instead, he's mostly been a bust.

He has averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game across 148 career NBA contests between the Warriors, Pistons and Pacers.

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Somehow, Wiseman is still just 24 years old. 

As long as his name is around, people will be wondering if he can become more than what he has shown so far.

The Pacers have opportunity at center. They just traded for Jay Huff, but he alone won't be able to make up for the loss of Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wiseman could see real minutes in the season ahead, and the Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton could be looking for anyone to show they belong in the future plans of this basketball team. This might be Wiseman's best chance in a while to prove that he still belongs.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle