Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Duren, Pistons, Mathews, Mitchell

December 13th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Following nearly a week-long break, the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons roared back into action on Friday by blowing out the Hawks and scoring 142 points in the process. They are now 20-5 and despite Oklahoma City’s 24-1 record, center Jalen Duren says the Pistons are the top team in the league, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

“It shows the world that we’re serious about winning, that we are serious about contending for a championship,” Duren said after the win. “Because that’s what we do it for … I think we’re the best team in the league and we’re going to continue to show it.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff used his full complement of 13 players on Friday. He’s going with an 11-man rotation now that there’s no one on the injury report. “It’s great for us. That’s what we’ve been working towards,” he said. “Being able to have everyone available, and then you have to make decisions. You make decisions on rotations, patterns, match ups, all of those things. It’s hard to do that if you don’t have everybody available. We’ve been pretty fortunate to be where we are right now. Now I’m interested to see, with a full boat; the lineups, that matchups, the groupings, the parings that we can put together, the different kinds of lineups we can have, switching lineups, trapping lineups… All of those types of things.”
The Pacers made a roster move this week, retaining Garrison Mathews and waiving Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Coach Rick Carlisle explained why, saying Mathews presented more of a threat to opponents due to his outside shooting ability. “We know he has gravity,” Carlisle told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “He’s a guy who has to be accounted for on a scouting report. He’s a competitor and he fills a need for us right now. … If you don’t guard him, he’s gonna score. It’s pretty simple. Guys like that change the game. I coached Reggie Miller for many years. I coached Dirk Nowitzki for 11 out of my 13 years in Dallas. Those guys are in the Hall of Fame for a reason. They change the game because it changes the geometry of the court. The more guys you have on the floor that have to be guarded far out, it opens up the game.”
Donovan Mitchell rescued the Cavaliers on Friday, scoring half of his 48 points in the fourth quarter of a 130-126 win over the 3-20 Wizards. “You’re playing a team that’s three and whatever, and you’re down 15, you can kind of tuck your tails and … kind of give in, right?” Mitchell said, per ESPN. “But we found a way.” He ended up with the highest-scoring fourth quarter in the NBA this season, surpassing the 22 points put up by the Magic’s Jett Howard on Nov. 23 against the Celtics.

Afseth’s Latest: Mavs, AD, Klay, Giannis, Morant, Kessler, More

December 12th, 2025 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

Although Dallas’ front office is open to listening to offers on Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford and D’Angelo Russell, the Mavericks aren’t “aggressively shopping” any of those four veterans, sources tell Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com.

As Afseth details, rival teams have gotten the impression that the Mavericks are currently evaluating not only their play to this point in the season but also their options on the trade market. They’re viewed as being “opportunistic” instead of a seller, Afseth writes, and whatever moves Dallas makes will be geared toward improving the team’s “long-term outlook.”

According to Afseth, the Mavs want to see Kyrie Irving play alongside Cooper Flagg and believe the star guard can complement the rookie forward and assist in Flagg’s development. Irving’s name is notably not among the aforementioned group.

While the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors are reportedly expected to among the suitors for Davis, sources who spoke to Afseth expressed skepticism about Davis’ fit in Detroit and Atlanta, with Toronto viewed as the best on-court landing spot of the group. Still, as Marc Stein recently reported and Afseth confirms, a Davis trade shouldn’t be viewed as an inevitability.

“The Mavericks are going to want to see how this team looks with AD and Kyrie,” one source told Afseth. “There is no sense in trying to just get rid of AD. The market has to be where they want to make a deal. If there isn’t a good enough deal on the table, I don’t see a deal getting done. They’d get another look at the trade market or evaluate an extension in the summer.”

Here are a few more highlights from Afseth’s rumor round-up:

While Thompson’s on-court contributions have been up and down during his time in Dallas, he has remained a “positive” presence despite the organizational turmoil following the Luka Doncic trade, Afseth reports. If Dallas does end up having serious discussions about Thompson, the team is expected to be “considerate” of Thompson’s desire to play for a contender, Afseth adds.
The future of Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest storyline on the trade market, but Afseth hears there haven’t been any new developments on that front. Some rival executives still view the Knicks as the favorites to land Antetokounmpo if he’s made available, but the Heat and Spurs are among the other potential suitors for the two-time MVP.
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who returned from a 10-game absence on Friday, is not currently available on the trade market, per Afseth. Should that change, the Heat are not viewed as being a strong fit for the two-time All-Star, Afseth continues.
The Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings are among the teams keeping an eye on point guards ahead of the February 5 deadline, according to Afseth.
The Pacers have done background work on Jazz center Walker Kessler, according to Afseth, who says Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of the fourth-year big man. Kessler, who is out for the year following shoulder surgery, was seeking $120MM+ on a long-term rookie scale extension before the season began, Afseth reports. Kessler will be a restricted free agent next offseason.

Kam Jones, Quenton Jackson Active Tonight For Pacers

December 12th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers are finally getting some reinforcements back. According to the team (Twitter link), second-round pick Kam Jones will be active to potentially make his NBA debut on Friday in Philadelphia.

Jones was upgraded to questionable for the first time in 2025/26 earlier on Friday, notes Tony East of Circle City Spin (via Twitter).

The 38th pick in this year’s draft, Jones missed the first 24 games of his rookie season after experiencing a lower back stress reaction in training camp. The 23-year-old guard played four years at Marquette prior to signing a four-year standard contract with Indiana.

Quenton Jackson, who has been out since November 3 due to a right hamstring strain, will also be available tonight. He suited up for the Pacers’ G League affiliate on Thursday before rejoining the NBA club ahead of Friday’s game.

A fourth-year guard who is on a two-way contract, Jackson was off to a solid start before the injury, averaging 11.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .541/.500/.722 shooting through five games (20.2 minutes per contest).

The Pacers have been absolutely ravaged by injuries this season and still have four players — Tyrese Haliburton (torn Achilles tendon), Obi Toppin (right foot stress fracture), Aaron Nesmith (left knee sprain) and Ben Sheppard (left calf strain) — sidelined.

Central Notes: Davis, Prince, Jackson, Robinson-Earl

December 11th, 2025 at 7:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Anthony Davis but The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II (subscription required) doubts Detroit will make a deal for the Mavericks big man.

According to Sankofa’s sources, the Pistons haven’t had discussions with the Mavericks regarding a trade for Davis. Moreover, it appears unlikely the Pistons will be among the teams looking to acquire him.

Sankofa notes Davis’ age, salary and injury history make him an awkward fit on a team loaded with young players. He also points out that the front office isn’t eager to make the roster both older and more expensive, especially with restricted free agent Jalen Duren potentially signing a huge extension in the summer.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

It has been nearly a month since Bucks forward Taurean Prince underwent neck surgery. He spoke about the procedure for the first time on Thursday following a shootaround. “It was definitely a tough process, definitely tough getting the news,” he said, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The only way to hoop again would be to get the surgery. So, that was my mindset from the jump. And really just taking everything in and knowing how serious of a situation it was, so just being thankful that I’m still here to speak and be able to have an opportunity to hoop again. I’m gonna play again, for sure.” Prince, who holds a $3.81MM option on his contract for next season, is still unable to do any physical activity but is looking forward to eventually returning to action. “I still feel like I got a lot in the tank,” he said. “I’m only 31. God blessed me with these talents so I feel like I should exert ‘em till the end. And after that I’ll have plenty of life to live and plenty of time to be a great husband and a great dad.”
Pacers guard Quenton Jackson is playing for the G League’s Noblesville Boom tonight and then will rejoin the NBA team in Philadelphia on Friday, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Jackson hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since he suffered a hamstring strain on Nov. 3. Jackson’s ramp up to action is going well, coach Rick Carlisle told Dopirak. Jackson is listed as questionable for Friday’s contest.
Veteran forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is pondering his options after he was waived by the Pacers on Wednesday, Carlisle told Dopirak (Twitter link). One of those options is for Robinson-Earl to join the Boom in the G League. Robinson-Earl averaged 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17 appearances (17.6 MPG) for Indiana but fell out of the team’s rotation this month.

Pacers Re-Sign Garrison Mathews, Waive Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

December 11th, 2025 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

12:10 pm: The Pacers have officially signed Mathews to a standard contract and waived Robinson-Earl, according to a press release from the team.

10:52 am: Garrison Mathews‘ second 10-day contract with the Pacers expired overnight, but he won’t be going anywhere. According to Tony East of Forbes (Twitter links), Indiana is re-signing Mathews to a standard contract and will waive forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in order to create room on the roster.

Mathews, who first joined Indiana’s roster last month on a hardship deal, made just 2-of-13 shots and scored nine points in 46 total minutes during his first 10 days with the team and admitted he was “a little surprised” when he was brought back on a second 10-day contract.

However, the 29-year-old shooting guard was more productive over the course of that second contract, having averaged 8.5 points per game on .500/.467/.750 shooting in his past four outings (19.3 MPG).

Even if the Pacers still qualify for a hardship exception, they’d be ineligible to use it on Mathews, since a player can’t sign more than two 10-day deals with a team in a single season. So in order to hang onto him, they’ll need to sign him to a standard contract, giving him a spot on their 15-man roster.

Indiana took the same route with Robinson-Earl earlier this season after he played out a pair of 10-day hardship deals — veteran point guard Monte Morris was waived in order to allow the Pacers to retain Robinson-Earl on a standard contract. Robinson-Earl averaged just 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 17 appearances (17.6 MPG) for Indiana but has fallen out of the team’s rotation as of late, getting DNP-CDs in Friday’s game in Chicago and Monday’s contest vs. Sacramento.

Assuming Robinson-Earl is officially cut on Thursday, the Pacers will carry a dead-money cap hit of $589,306 for him. That takes into account his two 10-day deals ($131,970 apiece) and a prorated portion of his non-guaranteed contract ($325,366).

Mathews will sign a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), which will allow the Pacers to maintain some flexibility with their 15th roster spot prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date next month.

Kerr, Spoelstra, Lue Top List Of NBA’s Highest-Paid Coaches

December 10th, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is the NBA’s highest-paid head coach, with an average annual value of $17.5MM on his current contract, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. Erik Spoelstra of the Heat and Tyronn Lue of the Clippers round out the top three at $15MM per year, Badenhausen adds.

While Kerr is the highest earner among head coaches in the short term, his deal with Golden State expires at the end of the 2025/26 season, whereas Spoelstra (eight years) and Lue (five years) signed longer-term extensions in 2024, so they’re assured of far more overall guaranteed money.

After that top three, there are several coaches in the range of $11MM annually, per Badenhausen: Doc Rivers of the Bucks, Ime Udoka of the Rockets, Joe Mazzulla of the Celtics, and Rick Carlisle of the Pacers.

The Knicks‘ Mike Brown is the only other coach with an average annual value of at least $10MM, with Mavericks coach Jason Kidd coming in at $9.5MM per year and Lakers coach JJ Redick at $9MM annually.

Interestingly, while Spoelstra, Kerr, and Lue are three of the NBA’s four longest-tenured head coaches, the other member of that group – Billy Donovan of the Bulls, the league’s third longest-tenured coach – doesn’t crack the list of top 10 salaries shared by Badenhausen.

Details on the other 20 NBA head coaches’ contracts aren’t included in Badenhausen’s report, but he notes that the lower end of coaching salaries is approximately $4MM per year. Presumably, that figure applies only to coaches who have the title permanently, rather than assistants who have received in-season promotions and are serving as interim replacements, such as James Borrego in New Orleans or Tiago Splitter in Portland.

For what it’s worth, the NBA’s estimated average salary for players in 2025/26 is $13.87MM, so just three of 30 head coaches are earning more than an average player in the league.

Pacers Among Teams Eyeing Ivica Zubac

December 10th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers are among the teams expected to pursue Ivica Zubac this season, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who hears from sources that Indiana recently made a call to the Clippers to inquire about the veteran center.

After losing Myles Turner in free agency to the division-rival Bucks over the summer, the Pacers are deploying Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, and Tony Bradley in the middle this season while keeping an eye out for a potential long-term answer at the position, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Tuesday.

Another Tuesday report, from NBA insider Jake Fischer, suggested that Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford is among the potential targets the Pacers have considered.

Both Gafford and Zubac are under team control for multiple seasons beyond this one, at a rate of about $18-20MM annually. That contract structure likely appeals to the Pacers, who are already carrying two maximum-salary players – Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam – and were paying Turner just under $20MM in the last year of his contract in 2024/25.

Indiana controls all of its own first-round picks and has some potential trade candidates on its roster that could be used to match Zubac’s $18.1MM cap hit, including Obi Toppin ($14MM), Bennedict Mathurin ($9.2MM), and Jarace Walker ($6.7MM), so the club could put together a viable package.

Whether the Clippers will actually be willing to entertain the idea of trading Zubac, who made the All-Defensive second team and finished second in Most Improved Player voting, remains to be seen. Fischer wrote on Tuesday that L.A. doesn’t seem inclined to part with the 28-year-old big man, while Siegel himself acknowledged last week that there are “mixed signals” about whether or not the Clippers would be open to the possibility of a Zubac trade.

In his latest article, Siegel says rival executives believe the Clippers, who are off to a 6-18 start this season, would at least have a conversation about Zubac if multiple first-round picks were on the table for him.

And-Ones: Front Offices, I. Mobley, NBA Europe, Quaintance

December 10th, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder are coming off a championship and are just the third team in NBA history to open a season with at least 23 wins in their first 24 games, so it comes as no surprise that general manager Sam Presti came out on top in The Athletic’s annual poll on the league’s best front offices.

A group of The Athletic’s NBA writers asked 36 executives around the NBA to rank their top five front offices, and Oklahoma City received an overwhelming 31 first-place votes.

The rest of the top five wasn’t simply made up of the teams at the top of the NBA’s standings. Brad Stevens and the Celtics placed second, followed by Rafael Stone and the Rockets at No. 3, Pat Riley and the Heat fourth, and Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers rounding out the top five. Each of those front offices received at least one first-place vote.

The Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Spurs, and Warriors finished in the top 10, with another 15 teams cited at least once, either as a top-five front office or as a group considered to be “on the rise” and earning an honorable mention. According to The Athletic, the five clubs not to be mentioned at all were the Mavericks, Kings, Pelicans, Suns, and Bulls.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, is in the process of finalizing an agreement with Hapoel Jerusalem, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). Mobley, a 2022 second-round pick who spent parts of three seasons in the NBA with Cleveland and Philadelphia from 2022-25, has been playing this fall with Manisa Basket in Turkey.
The fall of 2027 continues to be viewed as a “realistic target” for the launch of the NBA’s European league, according to FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis. Joe Vardon of The Athletic passes along some of the other comments Zagklis made about the prospective league during a news conference on Tuesday, including the fact that the goal is to give more teams across Europe a pathway to qualifying for the NBA’s league than can currently qualify for the EuroLeague.
Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance has cracked the top five in the latest 2026 NBA mock draft from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, behind the usual suspects at the top. The 6’10” sophomore forward is making his way back from an ACL tear he sustained while playing for Arizona State last season.

Fischer’s Latest: Gafford, Pacers, CP3, Clippers, Turner, Warriors

December 9th, 2025 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, Shams Charania of ESPN passed along several rumors related to the NBA’s trade market, including the fact that the Pacers are on the lookout for a long-term answer at center and that Daniel Gafford is among the players the Mavericks are willing to discuss in trade talks.

In his own look at the trade market on Tuesday, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) links those two items, reporting that the Pacers are believed to have interest in Gafford, who could make sense as a pick-and-roll partner for Tyrese Haliburton once the star point guard returns from his Achilles tear.

As we noted earlier in the day, Gafford signed a three-year extension during the offseason that will run through 2028/29, but he remains trade-eligible because that three-year, $54MM+ deal didn’t exceed the NBA’s extend-and-trade restrictions.

It’s unclear exactly what sort of return the Mavs would be seeking for the veteran center, but Obi Toppin ($14MM) or a package of Bennedict Mathurin ($9.2MM) and Tony Bradley ($2.9MM) are a couple examples of potential matches for Gafford ($14.4MM) from a salary perspective. Indiana also controls all of its own future first-round picks and most of its second-rounders.

Here are a few more highlights from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

According to Fischer, the Clippers fully intend to work with Chris Paul and his representatives at CAA to find a new home for the veteran point guard, who may be the top candidate to be dealt on December 15 when dozens of players become newly trade-eligible. Playing close to his home in Los Angeles was Paul’s top priority in the offseason, but Fischer wonders if playing time will be a more important factor for the future Hall of Famer this time around, pointing out that CP3’s dissatisfaction grew as his minutes decreased in L.A.
Outside of Paul, the Clippers aren’t considered likely to pursue any significant deals right away when trade season unofficially opens next Monday, says Fischer, adding that he views Ivica Zubac, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard as unlikely candidates to be moved — at least for now. Sam Amick of The Athletic made a similar point during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Tuesday (Twitter video link), pointing out half-jokingly that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has an “inexplicable, borderline insane addiction to this group.”
Maintaining cap flexibility beginning in 2027 remains a top priority for the Clippers, according to Fischer, who hears from sources that the team never offered Norman Powell a contract extension before trading him to the Heat over the summer. The Clippers’ front office expected Powell to seek a new deal in the neighborhood of $30MM, per Fischer.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo would obviously be of greater interest if the Bucks become sellers, Fischer suggests that Milwaukee center Myles Turner could be a target worth watching for the Warriors as they explore the market for potential deals involving Jonathan Kuminga. Golden State has had interest in Turner in the past, having discussed scenarios involving Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and Andrew Wiggins back when the big man was still in Indiana, Fischer writes.

Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Nembhard, Mathurin, Walker, Thompson

December 9th, 2025 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton continues to make progress in his recovery from his torn Achilles, posting a 30-second clip on social media on Monday that showed him running, jumping, and shooting on a practice court (Twitter video link).

However, with Haliburton having already been ruled out for the 2025/26 season, he’s taking some work on the side — Amazon Prime Video formally announced today that the two-time All-Star has been added as a player contributor for the streamer’s NBA broadcasts (Twitter link).

As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star explains, Haliburton’s appearance on Prime Video on Tuesday night will be his first of several over the course of the season. In addition to providing analysis on NBA Nightcap, Amazon’s studio show, the Pacers star will document and give a behind-the-scenes look at his recovery process from his Achilles tear.

We have more out of Indiana:

Without Haliburton available, the Pacers are leaning more this season on players like Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin to take on starring roles alongside forward Pascal Siakam. That trio combined for 76 points in Monday’s victory over Sacramento and has fueled the team’s stronger play (four wins in six games) as of late, according to Dopirak (subscription required). “Those three guys were great,” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Siakam, Nembhard, and Mathurin on Monday. “… Those three guys are our three leaders, really. I’ve talked to the three of them together a few times in the last week or 10 days. And Benn is in that group now along with (Aaron) Nesmith and (T.J.) McConnell. Those guys are our veteran leaders.”
After playing just nine minutes in Friday’s game in Chicago, Pacers forward Jarace Walker bounced back on Monday by providing 12 points and three rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Carlisle, who wasn’t pleased with Walker’s effort against the Bulls, was more enthusiastic about what he saw from the former lottery pick vs. the Kings. “I thought he was terrific tonight,” Carlisle said after Monday’s game, per Dopirak. “I don’t think his stats were super gaudy. Twelve points, we needed every single one of those points. He had a huge steal in transition. I don’t know how he pulls some of that stuff off. He just has amazing hands. Nights like Chicago is feedback for young players. His response in practice yesterday was terrific. I just liked his demeanor, his affect and his tone during the game. We need him.”
One week after making his NBA debut, Pacers two-way player Ethan Thompson made his first career start on Monday, getting a look in the wing role that has been played in recent weeks by Ben Sheppard, Walker, and Garrison Mathews. While Thompson’s numbers – six points and five rebounds – didn’t jump off the page, he had a couple steals and didn’t turn the ball over in his 28 minutes. “He plays a very solid, very even keeled game and he’s helping us,” Carlisle said of Thompson after the win (Twitter link via Dopirak).
In case you missed it, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier today that the Pacers have been engaged in trade talks in the hopes of finding a long-term answer at the center position.