Pacers Sign Omari Johnson; C.J. Wilcox Out For Season

The Pacers issued a press release on Friday announcing their 18-man roster for training camp. While we already knew that Indiana had 18 players under contract, the team’s list of camp players is missing one name and includes a new one.

According to the Pacers, former Grizzlies forward Omari Johnson has signed a contract with the team. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League affiliate, completed a trade with the Memphis Hustle earlier this week to obtain Johnson’s NBAGL rights, so the Pacers presumably view him as a player that will eventually end up in Fort Wayne.

Johnson, who will turn 29 in November, appeared in the first four games of his NBA career for the Grizzlies last season, averaging 5.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.8 APG. The 6’9″ forward has been solid in the G League, recording 15.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG with a .450/.401/.703 shooting line in 143 career NBAGL contests. He was waived by Memphis in June.

Meanwhile, the Pacers’ press release also included some bad news, as the team announced that C.J. Wilcox suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during an offseason workout. Wilcox underwent surgery to repair the injury and will miss the entire 2018/19 season.

Wilcox had been one of Indiana’s two-way players, along with Edmond Sumner. While the Pacers don’t explicitly say that they’ve waived Wilcox, he’s not listed on their roster for training camp. If he hasn’t been officially released yet, it will likely happen soon so that the team can get someone else in that second two-way contract slot.

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