Pacers Waive Tony Bradley
The Pacers have waived center Tony Bradley, the team announced in a press release. NBA insider Jake Fischer was first to report the news (via Twitter).
Bradley played a regular but modest role for Indiana this season, making 29 appearances while averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game. The eight-year veteran’s minimum-salary contract was non-guaranteed and the Pacers had until Wednesday to decide whether or not to guarantee it for 2025/26.
Indiana will carry a $1,355,225 dead-money cap hit for Bradley, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). His full salary was worth $2,940,876.
Assuming he clears waivers, Bradley will become an unrestricted free agent in a couple days. As Tony East of Forbes and Circle City Spin notes (via Twitter), the Pacers could choose to re-sign Bradley on a 10-day contract. The news also increases the likelihood of Micah Potter having his contract guaranteed.
Bradley, who turns 28 years old later this week, suffered a fracture on the tip of his right thumb two-plus weeks ago. Head coach Rick Carlisle referred to Bradley’s thumb as “partially functional” and the 6’10” big man had been wearing a splint on it.
Potter just signed with Indiana on Dec. 26 but has made a positive impression on the team in a short period of time. He has started the past two games and made six appearances overall (20.7 MPG), averaging 8.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.2 APG on .500/.389/1.000 shooting.
Central Notes: Cavs, Jenkins, Brown, Bickerstaff, Potter
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is mulling rotation changes after his second unit was gouged by the Pistons in a four-point loss on Sunday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports. Detroit staged a second-quarter rally and led the rest of the way.
“We gotta look at it,” Atkinson said when asked about some of the lineups used in the second quarter. “Obviously, wasn’t the right combination. Obviously, the bench play hurt us (Sunday).”
The second unit provided a spark last season, led by Ty Jerome, who signed with Memphis during the offseason. The Cavs have the NBA’s fourth least-productive bench this season.
“Maybe we keep two of our stars out there at the same time,” Atkinson said. “We’ve gotta help them. We started Sam (Merrill) tonight and that obviously hurts the bench, so we just gotta figure it out. It’s definitely, definitely hurting us in those minutes.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons two-way guard Daniss Jenkins fell one point short of the franchise record for points scored in a second quarter on Sunday. Jenkins racked up 21 points in those 12 minutes, making all seven of his field goal attempts, including six three-pointers. Jenkins also closed out the game with four free throws. Jenkins’ 21-point quarter was the highest scoring by a bench player in franchise history. “He was unbelievable,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “It’s the trust factor, we talk about it all the time. We have 18 guys on our roster that we believe in. We have 18 guys who we believe can help us win when we put them in the game. They know how to play Pistons’ basketball. They play unselfishly. They play with a high spirit. They have the confidence to go out and do what it takes to get it done.” Jenkins is a prime candidate to eventually receive a standard contract.
- Knicks head coach Mike Brown used to babysit Bickerstaff, James Edwards III of The Athletic reveals. They now coach the top two teams in the East. The Knicks and Pistons will square off for the first time since their playoff matchup last season on Monday. “He was strict,” Bickerstaff said. “He had a great way of making things fun but always organized and detailed. There weren’t going to be things that were missed, and he was scared to death of my dad (longtime NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff). He wasn’t going to let anything happen to me.”
- Micah Potter, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers late last month, was one of the 12 players named to the USA Select Team in June 2024 that scrimmaged against Team USA in Las Vegas prior to the Paris Olympics. He was also one of three players who stuck with the team as practice players through its July exhibition tour, an unforgettable experience for the big man. “That was the, hands down, coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Potter told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I had no idea that was gonna happen until my agent called me out of the blue. Going into that kind of environment — Kevin Durant said it’s the greatest team he’s ever played on, and so with that, you could argue it’s the greatest team ever assembled which is incredible. You go down the list and look at the names and it’s incredible. So being in that kind of an environment, you see how those kinds of guys prepare, right? You see how they approach the game, mentally and physically. It’s one of those things where you go into that environment — and I ended up playing, which is nuts too, getting on the floor with all of them — you learn to gain confidence.”
Central Notes: Mathurin, Cunningham, Bickerstaff, Potter
Bennedict Mathurin is expected to miss some time for the Pacers as he works to come back from a right thumb sprain and turf toe, writes Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
“When we’re down numbers, it becomes more challenging, but we’ve gotten some guys back,” said coach Rick Carlisle before Sunday’s game. “But now Mathurin’s out for a while.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter) that Mathurin has been trying to play through the thumb sprain for multiple weeks, but that he needs some time to heal. The fourth-year guard also admitted last month that the toe injury which cost him 11 games earlier in the season was still bothering him.
Mathurin is averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game for the depleted Pacers, but his numbers have dipped since mid-December, likely due in large part to his health issues. Over his last 11 games, he’s averaging 13.5 PPG on .369/.271/.973 shooting splits.
There was no immediate timeline given for his return.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Cade Cunningham, who is playing the best basketball of his career for the East-leading Pistons, credits former NBA guard and current assistant coach Jarrett Jack for helping him take a leap as a player and leader, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. Sankofa writes that Jack was “attached” to Cunningham upon joining the staff of former head coach Monty Williams. The two do one-on-one work, pregame warmups, and talk on the bench during games together. “He’s always making jokes, always being funny, talking about he could’ve did this or I ain’t that, whatever,” Cunningham said. “It’s cool, man. He just knows how to read the room. That’s the type of stuff that allows the culture to be what it is, people like that. He’s one of the main ones that’s helped build this culture that we got.”
- There were added stakes for the Pistons as they got their first road win against the Cavaliers since coach J.B. Bickerstaff came to Detroit from Cleveland, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I feel like we’ve got to have his back coming into here, because I know they get up to play against J.B. every single time,” said Isaiah Stewart, who started in the place of the injured Jalen Duren and contributed three blocks and two steals in the four-point victory. “So it was important for us to get this win tonight.” Coming into today’s game, the Cavaliers were 4-1 against their old coach.
- Micah Potter went from the G League to starting Pacers center in about a week. It’s been a whirlwind, but his previous experience with Team USA has helped him find ways to fit in and be productive, writes Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star. “The confidence it gave me was like, I belong, right?” Potter said. “I’m not saying I’m going to be a Kevin Durant, a LeBron James, a Tyrese Haliburton, a Steph Curry. I’m not going to be those guys, but I can help those guys. I can find a role to create for those guys whether I’m scoring or not. And that was the thing that gave me the most confidence, and I also hit a couple of shots which was really cool too.” Potter’s first start came on Friday in a loss to the Spurs. He scored 16 points on 4-of-8 from three with six rebounds. In Sunday’s matchup against the Magic, he had 11 points and 10 rebounds in just over 29 minutes. “Just try to do my job as best I can,” he said. “Create for my teammates, whether that’s passing, shooting open shots, setting good screens, anything like that. Just trying to create space for my teammates and play off that.”
G Leaguers Making Cases For NBA Promotions
Over the past 10 days, several players have earned promotions to either standard or two-way contracts. Several more transactions will be coming this week, as January 5 marks the first day clubs can sign players to standard 10-day contracts and Jan. 7 is the final day in which players who have non-guaranteed salaries (including two-ways) can be waived before their deals become guaranteed.
With that in mind, Keith Smith of Spotrac recently listed 23 players — seven ball-handlers, 10 wings and six bigs — who have been playing well in the G League and are candidates to receive NBA promotions either in the coming days or later in the season. One player from Smith’s list — Tristen Newton — just signed a two-way deal with Houston.
Smith compiled the list based on his own film reviews and spoke to NBA executives, scouts and player agents to solicit their input as well.
Most of the G Leaguers Smith cites have previous NBA experience. That group includes Kobe Bufkin, Killian Hayes, Dalano Banton, Kevin Knox II, Jalen Slawson, Charles Bassey, Moses Brown, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, among others. Bufkin, Bassey and Robinson-Earl actually spent time with NBA teams in 2025/26.
Smith singles out Slawson of the Noblesville Boom as the “best all-around player” to this point in the NBAGL season. A 6’7″ forward who was selected 54th overall in the 2023 draft, Slawson has been filling up the stat sheet for the Pacers‘ affiliate, averaging 21.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.0 blocks in 10 games (34.2 minutes per contest).
There are also a handful players on Smith’s list who have not yet received their first NBA call-ups, including Darius Brown II (Cleveland Charge), Teddy Allen (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) and Matthew Cleveland (Texas Legends). According to Smith, Cleveland has been one of the top rookies at the G League level — the undrafted wing out of Miami is suiting up for the Mavericks‘ affiliate.
Potter Gets Start As Deadline Nears For Contract Guarantee
- Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin will be held out of Sunday’s game at Orlando with a sprained right thumb, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. He scored just two points in Friday’s loss to San Antonio, shooting just 1-of-6 from the field. Dopirak adds that center Isaiah Jackson remains sidelined with a concussion he suffered on December 22.
- Micah Potter made his first start since joining the Pacers, which is a strong sign that his contract will be guaranteed next week, Dopirak adds in a separate story. Potter finished with 16 points and six rebounds and shot 3-of-8 from three-point range. Dopirak notes that Indiana probably doesn’t have the luxury of keeping four centers. Potter and Tony Bradley both have non-guaranteed deals, but Potter is healthy and playing regularly while Bradley is dealing with the effects of a fractured right thumb.
Pacers Notes: Potter, Mathurin, K. Jones, Nesmith
Fifth-year big man Micah Potter only signed with the Pacers on December 26, but he’s making a case to have his contract guaranteed next week, writes Tony East of Circle City Spin.
While Potter’s counting stats (eight points, three rebounds and three assists) were fairly modest in Wednesday’s two-point loss to Orlando, the Pacers played much better better when he was on the court — he was a game-high plus-23 in 26 minutes.
“Micah just knows the game. Plays hard, physical. Kinda just fits in,” Andrew Nembhard said. “He’s a good hooper. He’s had a lot of experience and can kind of just fill in.”
The 27-year-old got the starting nod over Jay Huff and Tony Bradley (DNP-CD) on Friday and responded with 16 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes. Indiana wound up losing to San Antonio by 10 points, but the Pacers were plus-four with Potter in the game.
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin had a disappointing outing Friday, recording five fouls in just under 20 minutes of action. He finished with two points (on 1-of-6 shooting), five rebounds and three assists. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime for Benn Mathurin,” head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game (Twitter link via East). “He’s starting… he’s second on the team in minutes played. There’s great opportunity here. We have to work at helping him adjust to this level of responsibility. This is a lot… It’s work.” Mathurin will be a restricted free agent in the summer if he’s tendered a qualifying offer.
- Carlisle liked what he saw from rookie guard Kam Jones on Friday, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. The second-round pick’s NBA debut was delayed by a back injury, but he was plus-16 in 10 minutes off the bench in the loss to the Spurs. “When he goes in games, good things happen,” Carlisle said. “That’s something that I gotta consider. He had a rough start of the season missing two months. … I see good things. I like his spirit. I like his energy.”
- Small forward Aaron Nesmith, who recently returned from a left knee sprain, appeared to suffer an injury to his left hand during Friday’s contest, per East (Twitter link). Nesmith got two of his fingers taped during the game and was in noticeable pain at times, East adds.
Eastern Notes: Kennard, Pacers, Martin, Hall
Luke Kennard had one of his best outings of the 2025/26 campaign in Wednesday’s victory over Minnesota, recording 15 points, six rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes off the bench. However, the veteran shooting guard admits his performance so far with the Hawks hasn’t been up to his typical standard, according to Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links).
“I’ve had some good moments, good games, but nowhere near what I can be and what I expect of myself,” Kennard said. “They’ve been on me, my teammates and coaches, just to be aggressive and shoot the ball when I can. … I’m here for a reason, and for myself, I’m very hard on myself. I think I can do more, and I’m excited to just build off of it. And today was a great day for everybody, a great team win, and hopefully we can just build off of that.”
Kennard, who signed a one-year, $11MM deal with Atlanta last summer, will be an unrestricted free agent again in 2026.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- After Wednesday’s loss to Orlando, head coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers have had some in-game disagreements amid their disastrous 6-28 start to the season, per Tony East of Circle City Spin (Twitter link). “In the second half, we played like a together team that was supporting each other and not like strangers. That’s how this has got to be. We’re having too much petty nonsense going on during games that needs to go away,” said Carlisle, who didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “petty nonsense.” When asked about his coach’s comment, forward Aaron Nesmith didn’t disagree, but said it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. “There may have been some petty nonsense, but I think it comes from a good place,” Nesmith said (Twitter link via East). “I think our competitive spirit in this game was pretty high. Sometimes that bleeds over into disagreeing on calls or guys help… guys are tired of losing.”
- The Pacers‘ G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, has acquired the returning player rights to Cody Martin in a trade with the Capital City Go-Go, tweets East. The veteran wing had a brief stint with the Pacers earlier this season on a 10-day hardship contract.
- South Carolina native PJ Hall, who recently signed a two-way contract with the Hornets covering two seasons, tells Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer it’s “surreal” to join a team he grew up cheering on. “I grew up a Panthers fan, I grew up a Bobcats fan, grew up watching Al Jefferson and then Kemba (Walker) and he’s with the Hornets now,” Hall said. “So, I mean, it’s been awesome and a great experience to be able to come back, have that full circle moment.” The 23-year-old big man has gotten an opportunity to play amid injuries to Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kalkbrenner, and he may even get his first career start Friday at Milwaukee — Moussa Diabate is questionable to suit up due to a right wrist sprain, the Hornets announced (via Twitter).
Magic’s Suggs, Pacers’ Sheppard Return On Wednesday
Following a seven-game absence due to a left hip contusion, Magic guard Jalen Suggs will return to action on Wednesday against Indiana, the team announced (via Twitter). Suggs will immediately reenter Orlando’s starting lineup.
It’s good news for the Magic, who have a 13-8 record with Suggs available this season and a 5-7 mark in games he hasn’t played. An important contributor on both ends of the court, the fifth-year guard has averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 25.6 minutes per game, with a .471/.328/.862 shooting line. He has been out since injuring his hip in the NBA Cup semifinal vs. New York.
Orlando’s numbers with Suggs on and off the court reflect his value to the team. In his 538 minutes of action this season, the Magic have outscored opponents by 9.6 points per 100 possessions. In 1,056 minutes without him, the Magic’s opponents have the edge, by a margin of 2.6 points per 100 possessions.
Jonathan Isaac (sore left knee) and Jett Howard (illness) will miss Wednesday’s game for Orlando.
On the other side of the court, the Pacers are also getting a member of their backcourt back following an injury absence. According to head coach Rick Carlisle, Ben Sheppard will be available for Wednesday’s contest (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star).
Sheppard has missed Indiana’s past 11 games due to a left calf strain, having last suited up on December 3. Prior to the injury, the third-year shooting guard was averaging 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 25.0 minutes per game, though he was struggling with his shot (.354 FG%, .273 3PT%).
Like Aaron Nesmith, who played 19 minutes on Saturday and 24 on Monday in his first two games back from a knee injury, Sheppard will likely be on a minutes restriction as he works his way back to 100%. Carlisle told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game that the team’s plan with Nesmith is to “gradually progress” his workload (Twitter link via Tony East of Circle City Spin).
Central Notes: Giannis, Sheppard, Pacers, Potter, Ball, Porter
Given that the Bucks hope to operate as buyers at the trade deadline and make a second-half push into the postseason, teams around the league inquiring about star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are being rebuffed, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirmed during a recent appearance on Sportsnet (Twitter video link).
“I’ve spoken to plenty of GMs that would love to have Giannis and have tried to talk to Bucks GM Jon Horst about acquiring him,” Scotto said. “And quite frankly, he’s not going anywhere, they’ve been telling me. The Bucks have been steadfast that he’s not going anywhere.”
Antetokounmpo reportedly entertained the idea of a change of scenery during the offseason, prompting the Bucks to briefly explore the possibility of a trade with the Knicks, but the two teams gained no traction in those discussions. If Milwaukee keeps losing and Giannis decides he wants to be moved, it will require a “more forceful” request from the two-time MVP, according to Jamal Collier and Shams Charania of ESPN, since the team won’t be looking to proactively deal him.
“The question is who is going to get made uncomfortable,” one league source told ESPN. “There’s a difference between saying it out loud and innuendos. [The Bucks] know Giannis doesn’t want to be the villain.”
We have more from news and notes from around the Central:
- Pacers guard Ben Sheppard missed an 11th consecutive game on Monday due to a left calf strain, but he was upgraded to questionable before being ruled out, notes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, which suggests his return may be imminent. Indiana has been banged up all season but got Aaron Nesmith back from a knee injury over the weekend and appears on the verge of having Sheppard back in the rotation too.
- The Pacers remain shorthanded in the frontcourt while Isaiah Jackson recovers from a concussion, which is what prompted the team to add free agent center Micah Potter last week. However, as Tony East writes for Circle City Spin, Potter’s stint with the team may be short-lived, since Indiana will have to waive him on or before next Wednesday in order to avoid guaranteeing his full salary.
- Veteran point guard Lonzo Ball was a DNP-CD on Monday as the Cavaliers picked up an impressive win in San Antonio, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “We wanted to look at some different combinations, but also with Zo, I have a big picture thing of just keeping him healthy and fresh,” head coach Kenny Atkinson explained after the game. “It was kind of twofold for tonight. I spoke to him. We need him healthy and available. He has been so far. I want to keep that going. I know we don’t have back-to-backs, but we are playing every other day. At a certain point, I need to find him some games. I talked to him about it, and it just happened to fall on tonight.”
- As Fedor observes, Craig Porter Jr. played well as the Cavaliers‘ backup point guard in place of Ball, registering six rebounds and four assists in 15 minutes in the victory over San Antonio. Cleveland outscored the Spurs by 12 points during Porter’s time on the floor, which matched the team’s margin of victory in the 113-101 decision.
Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith Expected To Return Saturday
Pacers small forward Aaron Nesmith has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game in Miami, the team announced (via Twitter).
According to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link), Nesmith is expected to play tonight. He has been out since November 13 — a span of 19 games — due to a left knee sprain.
Head coach Rick Carlisle indicated on Friday evening that Nesmith had a chance to return at some point in December.
In 11 games this season, Nesmith was averaging 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while converting 37.3% of his three-point attempts, though he’s also shooting a career-worst 35.9% on twos. The latter figure will likely normalize over time, as 11 games is obviously a small sample size.
The 26-year-old wing, who is a strong and versatile perimeter defender, played an important role in helping Indiana reach the NBA Finals last season. Nesmith signed a veteran contract extension in October and cannot be traded in 2025/26.
Longtime backup point guard T.J. McConnell, who played 14 minutes in Friday’s loss to Boston, will be out Saturday due to right hamstring soreness, per the Pacers.