The Indiana Pacers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free agent guard Monte Morris, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
It’s a non-guaranteed deal, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Pacers beat writer Tony East added that it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
Keith Smith of Spotrac explained what an Exhibit 9 deal entails.
“An Exhibit 9 contract includes a provision that protects the player against injury while under that contract. If a player is injured while on an Exhibit 9 deal, the team is responsible for paying that player $15,000 (this is up from $6,000 in the prior CBA). That $15,000 does hit the salary cap and luxury tax as a form of dead money charge, upon the player being waived.”
The 6’2″ Morris has played eight NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. The 30-year-old played 45 games off the bench for the Suns last year, averaging 5.2 points on 42.6 percent shooting (36.0 percent from three), 1.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds.
The defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers will play the 2025-26 season without superstar Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Indiana will miss him, but the Pacers still have tremendous depth, as evidenced by its run to the NBA Finals.
Here’s a look at how the depth chart may appear now with Morris aboard (h/t RealGM and CBS Sports).
PG: Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Monte Morris, RayJ Dennis
SG: Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, Kam Jones, Quenton Jackson, Taelon Peter
SF: Aaron Nesmith, Johnny Furphy, Jalen Slawson
PF: Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker
C: Jay Huff/Isaiah Jackson (with the non-starter as the top backup), James Wiseman, Tony Bradley
The Pacers open training camp on Sept. 29. Preseason begins for Indiana on Oct. 7 with the regular season starting on Oct. 23 with an NBA Finals rematch against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home.
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