Trail Blazers Claim Micah Potter Off Waivers
The Trail Blazers have claimed former Pacers big man Micah Potter off the waiver wire, according to the NBA’s official transaction log.
Indiana released Potter on Wednesday to make room beneath its first-apron hard cap to sign veteran forward/center Larry Nance Jr.
Following stints with Detroit and Utah, Potter appeared in a career-high 47 games in 2025/26 in his fifth NBA season, emerging as a rotation player for a Pacers team hit hard by injuries. The 28-year-old averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.3 minutes per contest, posting an excellent .515/.423/.842 shooting line.
Indiana’s deal with the 6’9″ center included a $2.8MM team option for 2026/27, which the club exercised last week, but the terms of the agreement called for that salary to remain non-guaranteed even after the option was picked up. That will remain the case for Portland after the team claimed Potter’s contract off waivers.
Since Potter is on a minimum-salary contract, any team with enough cap room had the ability to place a claim on him using the minimum salary exception. The Blazers chose to take a closer look at Potter as a floor-spacing depth option in the middle.
Portland also has Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III, Yang Hansen and Branden Carlson at center, but Williams has a lengthy injury history and Hansen and Carlson are relatively unproven at the NBA level. Potter could be competing with Carlson to make the final roster, though Carlson’s minimum-salary contract for 2026/27 is fully guaranteed, Hoops Rumors can confirm.
The Blazers have an unusual roster composition with six guards (Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Vit Krejci), a point forward (Deni Avdija), and a couple of rangy wing defenders who mostly play off the ball (Toumani Camara and Sidy Cissoko) to go along with their five centers. Of the 14 players currently on the standard roster, Potter, Krejci and Cissoko are on non-guaranteed deals.
While Potter is a skilled shooter and understands the game well, he’s not great at locking down the paint, having allowed opponents to shoot 68.3% at the rim in ’25/26. He’s also not particularly mobile defensively despite being a little undersized for a stretch five.
Still, it’s a low-risk flyer for Portland. Potter’s salary will remain non-guaranteed until the league-wide salary guarantee deadline in January, so if the Blazers need a little extra cap room or decide not to carry him on the regular season roster, he could still be waived without leaving any money on the team’s books.
Pacers Waive Micah Potter
4:09 pm: Potter has officially been cut, per NBA.com’s transaction log. He’ll clear waivers on Friday if he goes unclaimed.
4:01 pm: The Pacers intend to waive big man Micah Potter, reports Tony East of Circle City Spin (Twitter link). The move will create enough room below the team’s first-apron hard cap in order to sign Larry Nance Jr. to a minimum-salary deal.
Following stints with Detroit and Utah, Potter appeared in a career-high 47 games in 2025/26 in his fifth NBA season, emerging as a rotation player for an Indiana team hit hard by injuries. The 28-year-old averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19.3 minutes per contest, posting an excellent .515/.423/.842 shooting line.
The Pacers’ deal with the 6’9″ center included a $2.8MM team option for 2026/27, which the club exercised last week, but the terms of the agreement called for that salary to remain non-guaranteed even after the option was picked up. That means none of Potter’s salary will remain on Indiana’s books once he’s waived.
Given how admirably he handled his increased role last season, I could see the Pacers bringing back Potter on a new non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract that would carry a more team-friendly cap hit ($2.45MM instead of $2.8MM). That’s just my speculation though, and unless the club is able to shed additional salary, it might need to be an Exhibit 10 contract rather than a standard deal, so that it doesn’t count for cap and apron purposes.
Of course, Potter would have to pass through waivers to become eligible to re-sign with the Pacers or to choose his next destination. Since he was on a minimum-salary contract, any team would have the ability to place a claim on him using the minimum salary exception.
Pacers To Exercise Option On Micah Potter’s Deal
The Pacers plan to exercise their $2,801,346 option on Micah Potter‘s contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. They have also extended a two-way qualifying offer to Jalen Slawson.
Potter’s 2026/27 salary will remain non-guaranteed until Jan. 10. He projects to compete for a roster spot with Jay Huff to back up Ivica Zubac next season.
Potter saw action in 47 games this past season, including seven starts. He averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.3 minutes, per game, shooting 51.5% overall and an impressive 42.3% from long range. The 28-year-old had previous stops in Detroit and Utah.
Slawson was named to the G League’s All-Defensive team while playing for the Noblesville Boom. He signed a two-way deal on Feb. 28 and appeared in 13 Pacers games, including six starts.
Slawson averaged 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks in 23.9 minutes per contest at the NBA level. His previous NBA experience consisted of a 12-game stint with Sacramento after the Kings drafted him in the second round in 2023.
Central Notes: Thomas, Potter, Smith, Okorie
The Cavaliers feel that they got a steal when they drafted Jaylon Tyson 20th overall back in 2024. They are similarly optimistic about their latest rookie, Meleek Thomas, and are expected to sign the 20-year-old guard to a standard NBA deal with the second-round exception, Michael Scotto reports for HoopsHype.
While Thomas will enter the league at just 185 pounds and 20 years old, he projects to give the bench the type of backcourt scorer and shot creator they have been looking for since Ty Jerome left last offseason. He scored 20 points nine times last season despite only starting 21 of his 37 games for Arkansas, and he shot 41.6% from three on 5.3 attempts per game.
Given how expensive the Cavaliers’ roster projects to be, especially once they negotiate a new deal for free agent James Harden, having bench contributors on cheap, long-term deals is imperative for their continued attempts to contend in the Eastern Conference.
The second-round exception allows a team to sign its second-round picks to standard contracts without needing cap space to do so.
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Micah Potter became a rotation piece for the injury-plagued Pacers this season, and he delivered on the opportunity to play on the first standard contract of his career, averaging 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game while hitting 42.3% of his threes. Now, Indiana faces a Monday deadline to make a decision on Potter’s team option, Tony East writes for Forbes. It would appear the Pacers are leaning towards picking it up, as team president Kevin Pritchard recently said the big man would be in the mix for the backup center spot. After they do so, they have another decision to make: they could simply roster him going into next season, or risk waiving Potter and hope another team doesn’t claim him off waivers before re-signing him, a move that would give Indiana slightly more financial wiggle room as they look to fill out their roster.
- The Pacers traded for the 38th pick in the 2026 draft to select Braden Smith. They had to move up for Smith, as they were facing competition from the Bucks and Lakers, according to the former Purdue point guard, per Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files (Twitter video link). “They were all kind of fighting for that (draft spot),” Smith said. “So I was trying to figure out which team of the three, and I knew right as they were on the clock that Pacers were it.” To get him, the Pacers traded Kam Jones, second-round swaps, and cash. In 2028, the Pacers will get the least favorable pick between the Bulls’ second-rounder and the more favorable of the Pacers’ and Suns’ second-rounders. In 2030, the Pacers will get the least favorable pick between the Bulls’ and Pacers’ second-rounders, Tony East reports for Circle City Spin.
- Rookie point guard Ebuka Okorie had an unexpectedly fast rise up draft boards this year, but Pistons president Trajan Langdon has had his eye on the shifty guard since long before that, Omari Sankofa II writes for the Detroit Free Press. Langdon’s son, Tayden, attended Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, which Okorie transferred to and played for in his senior year. “It was funny because one day in the gym this spring, I jokingly told [Tayden Langdon], ‘Your dad’s called me a couple times asking about Ebuka,’ and he laughed,” Brewster coach Jason Smith said. “He said, ‘Yeah, he’s called me a couple times, as well.‘”
Central Notes: Pistons, Cavs, Potter, Huff, Bulls
With the Pistons holding the 21st overall pick in next week’s draft, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required) identifies three of the team’s needs and projects how they might be able to fill one of those holes in the draft.
Detroit could use another shooter and wing depth. Baylor’s Cameron Carr or Duke’s Isaiah Evans could help fill that void. If they look for another ball-handler, Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz or Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson could be the choice. If they target power forward depth, Washington’s Hannes Steinbach or Santa Clara’s Allen Graves could wind up in a Detroit uniform.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Jaden Bradley (Arizona), Skyy Clark (UCLA), Tae Davis (Oklahoma), Tucker DeVries (Indiana), Chaze Harris (South Alabama) and Jackson Paveletzke (Ohio) attended the Cavaliers‘ pre-draft workout on Wednesday, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets. Bradley was the headliner of the group — he’s ranked No. 38 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
- Pacers big men Micah Potter and Jay Huff could be fighting for the backup spot behind Ivica Zubac next season, if they both make the roster. Indiana holds a club option on Potter’s non-guaranteed contract, while Huff will earn a minimum salary. In a pair of stories for Circle City Spin, Tony East takes a closer look at their performances from this past season and considers how each player could be more productive in 2026/27.
- The Bulls will head into next season with a new front office and coaching staff. They also have a high lottery pick and can open up ample cap space. How can they maximize their flexibility? Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) takes a deep dive into that topic in his Bulls offseason preview.
Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Siakam, Carlisle, Contract Decisions
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who missed the seaon while recovering from an Achilles tear, said his bout with shingles has been depressing, painful and lengthy, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.
“Mine’s been on my face,” Haliburton said. “I couldn’t even go in front of a camera if I wanted to early because my eye was basically closed shut and it was all over my face. They told me I would be really itchy. I wasn’t itchy for the first two weeks. I just had a bad rash. Then once the rash went away, the itching came and it’s been miserable. Hence why every time you’ve seen me I’ve been in glasses just to not touch my face, really. That’s really the only reason I’ve been wearing them.
“I’ve lost part of my eyebrow. My eye is always swollen from itching it. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part, it’s bad days. It has not been any fun. I’m still, honestly, dealing with it. I’ve been taking unbelievable amounts of medication, it hasn’t worked.”
Haliburton’s weight has increased, mainly due to the medications.
“I’m out of shape like crazy like I’ve never been before,” Haliburton said. “… I told you guys I’ve been gaining weight. You’ve probably heard me talk about it. I’ve been gaining weight all season. But it’s been good weight. I feel like it’s been good. Well now, it hasn’t. But I credit a lot of that to the medication in all honesty.”
Haliburton added that his Achilles recovery has gone well and he should be ready to go by training camp.
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- Injuries wrecked the Pacers’ season but better health alone won’t turn their fortunes around next year, according to forward Pascal Siakam. “We know that it’s not going to just take flipping a switch,” Siakam said, per Dopirak. “Like, ‘Oh, we have everybody back and we’re going to right back where we were at.’ It’s going to take a lot of rebuilding. Making sure that we start over. That’s what it’s going to take. As long as we all have that mindset and we go into the summer with that level of seriousness of understanding what it takes to win, what we’re going to need to do to win, I think we’ll be OK.”
- Coach Rick Carlisle credited his players for continuing to work and play hard throughout a trying season, Dopirak tweets. Indiana went 4-7 in its last 11 games following a 16-game losing streak.“It’s a humbling year. There’s a saying that you’re either humbled or you’re about to be humbled. After last year, just the rash of things that happened was humbling enough. … We started 1-13 but our guys played their butts off the entire year.”
- If they hang onto their first-round pick, the Pacers could enter the offseason $11.7MM over the luxury tax and $3.2MM above the first apron threshold, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes. Indiana has decisions to make with Micah Potter‘s team option and the partially guaranteed salaries of Kam Jones and Quenton Jackson — the team has until June 29 to exercise the $2.8MM Potter option and the following day to guarantee the $2.2MM contract of Jones, who already has $1.1MM guaranteed. Jackson’s contract increases from $275K to $2.6MM on July 15 if he remains on the roster.
Ivica Zubac To Miss Rest Of Season With Fractured Rib
4:55 pm: The Pacers have officially confirmed Zubac’s injury in a press release. As expected, the 29-year-old big man will miss the rest of the season. He’s expected to make a full recovery, per the team.
10:02 am: Pacers center Ivica Zubac sustained a fractured rib in Wednesday’s loss to Portland, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), who reports that Zubac will sit out the rest of the season while he recovers from the injury.
Zubac left Wednesday’s game early, though his exit happened after he was on the wrong end of a Donovan Clingan elbow, and the head contusion he suffered on that play was the ailment he discussed during his post-game media session. It’s unclear when the rib fracture occurred.
Zubac, who was traded from the Clippers to Indiana at February’s deadline, was still recovering from a left ankle sprain at the time of the deal and didn’t make his Pacers debut until last week. He has been limited to just 48 total appearances this season due to various health issues.
In his five games as Indiana’s starting center – all losses – Zubac averaged 11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 23.6 minutes per contest. His full-season averages were 14.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 30.1 MPG.
Although Zubac was able to suit up for a few games as a Pacer this season, the team traded for him with an eye toward 2026/27 and beyond. With a healthy Zubac in the middle and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton back from his Achilles tear, Indiana is hopeful that it will once again become a title contender after coming within one win of a championship last June.
With Zubac unavailable, big man Jay Huff figures to reclaim a spot in the starting lineup. He started 15 of 16 games at the five between the start of February and Zubac’s debut. Reserve center Micah Potter, who lost his rotation spot with Zubac healthy, will likely resume playing regular minutes once he’s healthy. He was inactive on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a right triceps strain.
Central Notes: Harden, Mitchell, Allen, Buzelis, Potter
Making a major in-season trade can sometimes disrupt a team’s chemistry. For the Cavaliers, adding James Harden has been a breath of fresh air, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“They are two guys that are hungry to take that next step,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of Harden and fellow star guard Donovan Mitchell. “They’ve kind of hit it off. Been seamless, really. Two guys that are so passionate about the game. They’re both hoop junkies.
“Usually when you have that kind of synergy it goes well. With them, I haven’t seen any misunderstandings or ‘You should have went there.’ They’ve been pretty locked in on the court and off the court. Couldn’t have gotten better so far.”
The only hiccup in the Harden-Mitchell pairing to this point has been injuries — Mitchell will miss his fourth straight game on Tuesday vs. Detroit because of a right groin strain, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press, while Harden will be active as he plays through a fractured right thumb.
Center Jarrett Allen, whose excellent play over the past month actually preceded Harden’s arrival, said the former MVP has helped him reach a new level.
“The confidence is renewed,” Allen said. “When big changes happen like that, your view shifts. You have more confidence in yourself. … I’m just finding my rhythm. People pass me the ball, Kenny is drawing plays for me, things are just clicking.”
While Cleveland feels good about how the team has been played over the past several weeks, there are still questions about how it will translate to the postseason, Collier notes. Mitchell has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs, while Harden made his lone NBA Finals appearance in 2012, when he won Sixth Man of the Year in his third season with Oklahoma City.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- After Sunday’s victory in Brooklyn, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype asked Cavaliers point guard Harden how much longer he wants to keep playing (Twitter video link). “I know it’s coming soon. Hopefully, later than soon, but it’s reality,” Harden said. “Everybody has to go through this at some point. … Just trying to continue to keep my body in shape and play well. … We’ll see what happens in the next few years. Take it one game at a time and cherish the moments.”
- Second-year forward Matas Buzelis has impressed for the Bulls over the last three games after he had a “heart-to-heart” talk with head coach Billy Donovan about his shot selection and continuing to find ways to impact winning, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. The 21-year-old has averaged 24.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .520/.429/.727 shooting over that three-game span.
- Indiana hold a team option on Micah Potter‘s contract for next season, and the fifth-year big man is making a strong case for the Pacers to exercise it with his recent play, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). Over his last eight games (25.6 MPG), Potter is averaging 15.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.0 RPG and 0.9 SPG on .538/.463/.870 shooting. The 27-year-old has some defensive limitation, but he has been a good fit in Indiana’s offensive system, Dopirak writes. “Solid is the word,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Micah, that’s what he is. He’s solid. He’s a no-frills player. He doesn’t try to be fancy out there. He plays the game, he works to play to his strengths. I like that he’s a stretch big that can legitimately play some four. That’s a very good thing.” Potter’s $2.8MM salary for 2026/27 would still be non-guaranteed even if the Pacers exercise that option.
Pacers Re-Sign Tony Bradley To 10-Day Contract
January 8: Bradley’s new 10-day deal with the Pacers is official, the team confirmed in a press release.
January 7: After waiving Tony Bradley on Monday before his contract became guaranteed for the rest of the season, the Pacers plan to bring him back on a 10-day deal, a league source tells Tony East of Forbes. Bradley cleared waivers earlier today and is now a free agent.
Indiana’s next game isn’t until Thursday, so East speculates that the signing may not take place until then. The Pacers play on back-to-back nights January 16 and 17, so they could make Bradley’s contract cover six games by having it stretch from the 8th to the 17th.
East notes that the team needs depth at center because backup big man Isaiah Jackson is still sidelined with a concussion that has kept him out of action since December 22. Micah Potter, who joined the team on December 26, has started two of the last three games and appears to have a secure spot on the roster after being retained past today’s contract guarantee date.
Bradley was seeing consistent playing time earlier in the season as part of a three-man center rotation along with Jackson and Jay Huff. However, he suffered a fracture on the tip of his right thumb more than two weeks ago and has been playing while wearing a splint ever since.
The Pacers created $1.55MM in cap savings and opened up a roster spot by releasing Bradley on Monday. His cap hit on a 10-day contract will be nearly $132K, which will bring the team to within roughly $5.7MM of the luxury tax line, according to East, who states that Indiana is almost certain to stay out of the tax considering its 6-31 record.
Bradley was in his second season with the Pacers after joining the team on a pair of 10-day deals last March and being signed for the remainder of the season. He has appeared in 29 games this season, averaging 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per night.
He will be eligible to sign another 10-day contract with Indiana after the first one expires. After that, the Pacers would have to give him a standard deal to keep him on the roster for the rest of the season.
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.