Taelon Peter Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Peter, Krejci, Pistons, Sixers

July 28th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Taelon Peter‘s two-way contract with the Pacers will cover two seasons, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks at Sports Business Classroom. Peter, the 54th overall pick in this year’s draft, is the fourth 2025 second-rounder to a sign a two-year, two-way contract, joining Rocco Zikarsky (Timberwolves), Javon Small (Grizzlies), and Kobe Sanders (Clippers).

Peter’s two-way deal includes a $85,300 partial guarantee for now, but half of his full $636,435 salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through the start of the regular season, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Hawks guard Vit Krejci is the lone active NBA player named to the preliminary Czech roster for this year’s EuroBasket tournament, notes Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). Veteran guard Tomas Satoransky, who appeared in 388 NBA games from 2016-22, is among the other notable names representing the Czechs.
With oddsmakers considering the Pistons the betting favorites to land Cam Thomas if he leaves Brooklyn, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press explores the possibility of the restricted free agent guard landing in Detroit but expresses skepticism it will happen. As Sankofa notes, Thomas isn’t an obvious fit on a roster that already features multiple ball-dominant guards (Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey) and likely “doesn’t check enough boxes to justify the expense.” Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (YouTube link) also recently checked in on the Pistons as a possible suitor for Thomas and found nothing doing.
In a mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey fields questions on Joel Embiid‘s and Paul George‘s trade value, why Guerschon Yabusele wasn’t moved in February if the Sixers were going to let him walk, and what the club’s backcourt rotation might look like. Pompey expects Quentin Grimes, assuming he re-signs, to start alongside Tyrese Maxey, with Kelly Oubre at small forward and Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe coming off the bench.

Pacers Sign Rookie Taelon Peter To Two-Way Contract

July 24th, 2025 at 10:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

1:47pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

10:30am: As anticipated, the Pacers and the No. 54 overall pick of the June draft, Taelon Peter, have agreed to a two-way deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Indiana general manager Chad Buchanan recently indicated that Peter was in line to receive a two-way contract. The Pacers cleared a spot for the shooting guard by pulling their qualifying offer to Enrique Freeman.

By adding Peter, the Pacers have filled all of their two-way slots. RayJ Dennis and Quenton Jackson have the Pacers’ remaining two-way contracts.

Peter excelled in a sixth man role at Liberty University last season. He only started two of 35 games, yet averaged 13.7 points on 57.8 percent shooting from the field and 45.3 percent from three-point range. He also grabbed 4.0 rebounds and handed out 1.0 assist in 22.7 minutes per contest. Liberty won its conference tournament and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Oregon, a game in which Peter scored eight points.

Peter spent his previous three seasons with Division II Arkansas Tech. In four Summer League appearances, he averaged 9.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 23.6 minutes per game for Indiana.

“We like a lot of things he does as far as playing without the ball, his shooting, his movement. I thought he showed very encouraging signs defending the ball in Las Vegas,” Buchanan said.

Enrique Freeman Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent

July 24th, 2025 at 7:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers have withdrawn their two-way qualifying offer to forward Enrique Freeman, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Freeman, who will turn 25 on Tuesday, was the 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 22 NBA games as a rookie for Indiana, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per contest.

While Freeman’s impact at the NBA level was very limited, he played well in the G League, averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 14 outings for the Indiana Mad Ants last season. He also had a strong Summer League showing in Las Vegas this month, registering averages of 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 BPG with an incredible 72.5% mark on field goal attempts, including 55.6% on three-pointers.

However, RayJ Dennis and Quenton Jackson hold two of the Pacers’ two-way slots and it appears likely that second-round pick Taelon Peter will get the third, as general manager Chad Buchanan confirmed during a recent appearance on the Setting The Pace podcast (YouTube link). That left Freeman as the odd man out.

The deadline to unilaterally withdraw a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer passed earlier this month, but teams are still permitted to rescind those QOs with the player’s consent, so it’s safe to assume Freeman signed off on this move. Becoming an unrestricted free agent will allow him to choose his next opportunity without Indiana controlling the process.

Pacers Notes: Furphy, Dennis, Q. Jackson, Jones, More

July 21st, 2025 at 3:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard recently said Johnny Furphy has added 20 pounds of muscle to his frame and it showed in the confident way he attacked the rim at the Las Vegas Summer League, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required).

As Dopirak details, Furphy had one of the top highlights of Summer League, throwing down a vicious poster slam on Bulls lottery pick Noa Essengue (YouTube link), and shot 76.9% on twos (10-of-13), though he made just 25.0% of his three-point looks (3-of-12). Furphy posted solid-if-unspectacular numbers in three appearances in Vegas, averaging 11.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.0 SPG in 22.9 MPG, with turnovers being an issue (2.7 per contest).

Furphy, who was selected 35th overall in last year’s draft, had a modest role with Indiana as a rookie last season, making 50 regular season appearances while averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game. While he seems likely to be outside of the rotation to open 2025/26, the 20-year-old should get a crack at regular minutes if an injury occurs on the wing, Dopirak notes.

Here’s more on the Pacers from Dopirak:

As he enters his second NBA season, RayJ Dennis appears to be the frontrunner for third-string point guard duties despite being on a two-way contract, according to Dopirak. With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for ’25/26, Andrew Nembhard is expected to start, with T.J. McConnell as the primary backup. The 24-year-old Dennis tied for a Summer League-high with 7.3 assists per game (against 3.8 turnovers) in four contests and showed his familiarity with the team’s uptempo offense, Dopirak writes. Dennis also averaged 15.8 PPG on .420/.400/.846 shooting splits (27.7 MPG) and, at least as of now, looks to be ahead of Quenton Jackson and rookie Kam Jones on the depth chart; Jackson is also on a two-way deal, while Jones received a standard contract after being selected No. 38 overall out of Marquette.
Speaking of Jackson, Dopirak says he was arguably the most impactful player on the Summer League roster in his one appearance, posting 24 points on just 10 field goal attempts and recording three assists and two steals in 26 minutes. Dennis is more of a facilitator, but head coach Rick Carlisle showed he had faith in Jackson last season amid injuries and the 26-year-old guard is a better and more versatile defender than Dennis, Dopirak observes.
As for Jones, he showed flashes of why the Pacers made him a second-round pick at Summer League, averaging 13.5 PPG, 5.2 APG, 3.8 RPG and 1.8 SPG on .488/.333/.750 shooting in four games in Vegas (26.3 MPG). However, the 23-year-old might need to spend some time in the G League with the Noblesville Boom to open the season, according to Dopirak, who points out that Jones had some rough patches on both ends of the court despite solid-looking counting stats.
The Pacers have a two-way qualifying offer out to Enrique Freeman, who shined in Vegas, averaging 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.8 BPG while shooting 72.5% from the floor in five games (27.8 MPG). But Dopirak views No. 54 overall pick Taelon Peter — one of several unsigned second-rounders — as a better bet to fill Indiana’s third and final two-way spot. The former Liberty guard thrived in transition in Summer League, Dopirak writes, and although his stats were far more modest than Freeman’s (9.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.8 APG in 23.6 MPG), the former Akron big man has distinct limitations, notably being forward-sized (6’7″ and 220 pounds) but functionally playing like a center.
Assistant coach Isaac Yacob deserves credit for having the Summer League team emulating the Pacers’ distinctive style in a short period of time, per Dopirak. In addition to being the head coach in Vegas, Yacob has helped several players on the roster improve and is close to Haliburton, so his standing in the organization is on the rise, says Dopirak.

Top 45 Picks From 2025 Draft Have Signed NBA Contracts

July 12th, 2025 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been 16 days since the NBA’s 2025 draft wrapped up and just 11 days since those draftees were permitted to start signing contracts, but the majority of the ’25 draft class have already put pen to paper, finalizing standard or two-way deals with their respective teams.

As our tracker shows, all 30 first-round picks have signed their rookie scale contracts, and the top 15 picks in the second round are now under contract too. Outside of the top 45, four additional players – No. 48 pick Javon Small, No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor, No. 50 pick Kobe Sanders, and No. 55 pick Lachlan Olbrich – have formally inked their first NBA contracts.

That leaves the following players who don’t yet have an NBA contract in place for the 2025/26 season:

Boston Celtics: Amari Williams
Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic
New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
Utah Jazz: John Tonje
Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter
Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
Boston Celtics: Max Shulga
Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang
Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack

A number of these players are expected to end up on two-way deals — Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) reported on draft night that both of these Celtics picks – Williams and Shulga – would be signing two-ways with Boston, for instance.

Still, not all of these guys will be on NBA rosters when the 2025/26 season begins. For example, the expectation is that Niang will spend next season in the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna.

Players born outside the U.S. and/or ones who already have experience in non-NBA leagues are typically the best candidates to become overseas draft-and-stash players, so that could be an option for late second-rounders like Markovic, Diawara, and Toohey too. It’s hardly a given though. Post-draft reporting indicated that the Bucks and Knicks weren’t yet sure if Markovic and Diawara, respectively, will be stashed in Europe or if they’ll play stateside in ’25/26. Diawara, in particular, might have a chance to earn a standard contract for a New York team with little breathing room below its hard cap.

The other option for draft-and-stash players is to spend the season in the G League rather than in a league outside the U.S. Typically, at least one or two players go that route each season. That’s what Nikola Djurisic, the Hawks’ No. 43 overall pick a year ago, did in 2024/25 before signing his first NBA contract with Atlanta earlier this week.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these players in the coming days and weeks, as many of them could end up finalizing their plans for 2025/26 either during the Las Vegas Summer League or shortly thereafter.