Report: Pacers withdraw offer to Enrique Freeman, clearing way for Taelon Peter to grab last two-way spot
Per Spotrac's Keith Smith, the Pacers have withdrawn their two-way contract offer to forward Enrique Freeman, clearing the way for Peter to stick.
Quenton Jackson has already signed a two-way contract and on "Setting the Pace" podcast, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan gave every indication point guard RayJ Dennis would have one as well. That left one between Freeman — last year's No. 50 overall pick — and Peter, this year's No. 54 pick.
'Really hard not to like Taelon Peter.' Draft's biggest surprise has purpose bigger than basketball
Both players had strong performances in the NBA Summer League. Peter averaged 9.5 points per game on 57.1% shooting. Freeman posted double-doubles in each of his last four games and averaged 16.6 points per game on 72.5% shooting and 9.6 rebounds.
However, Buchanan told Alex Golden earlier this week that Peter had the edge.
"We'll probably be looking at Taelon," Buchanan said. "We haven't decided for sure on that yet. He probably makes sense from that standpoint. 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."
Freeman played center for the Pacers in Summer League and got work there in limited minutes for the Pacers last season and his skill set seems best suited for that position. However, at 6-7, 220 pounds he's not quite big enough to play it effectively in the NBA even if he can reliably play it in the G League.
"He's on the cusp of being an NBA roster type player," Buchanan said. "His challenge is his position for the NBA. We play him at a lot of 5. He's probably undersized for that for the NBA. He's got a motor. He has a nose for the ball. He's tough. He's smart. It's a tough decision for us, but the backcourt spot is probably more where we need some depth."
LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST BELOW:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Former Golden State Warriors' big man praises organization
The Golden State Warriors are one of the most successful franchises of the modern era. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson led a dynasty, winning four championships and ushering in a new phase in the NBA's evolution. Outside of those achievements, the Warriors are also one of the most well-functioning franchises in the league. In a recent episode of FanDuel TV's "Run It Back," former Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins detailed what makes the Warriors such a great organization to play for. From the additional plane to family members, to how the team monitors a player's nutrition, Cousins was clearly impressed by his time in the Bay Area. "Definitely one of the top organizations in the NBA," Cousins said. "They treat their players well, they treat their players' families well, from meal plans on the road to traveling... during the playoffs, they have their own separate plane just for players' family members." The organization's approach to taking care of its players is likely part of the reason why the Warriors have tasted so much success in recent years. After all, when you ensure everyone is healthy, happy, and their fitness is on point, good results usually follow. Cousins played 30 games for the Warriors during the 2018-19 season. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists, shooting 55.1% from 2-point range but just 27.4% from deep. This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why these young NBA players are primed to take a leap in 2025
Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill and analyst Dan Titus discuss the young NBA stars that they think will improve the most during the 2025-26 NBA season. Hear the full conversation on 'Good Word with Goodwill' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Is there a player in particular that you're looking at and you're like, man, this guy is primed to make a leap next season. First name that comes to mind, Andrew Nembhard with Tyrese Haliburton out. Nembhard is probably gonna be the guy that's gonna be the engine of the offense. They're gonna play through Pascal Siakam too, but I think we're gonna see that big leap in Andrew Nembhard. It's gonna be a very important year for him. I think that that's the person that I'm kind of pegging right now, most improved player, taking that leap to kinda keep Indiana on the brink of relevancy in the East. Like they're not gonna be what they were last year, but they're still obviously gonna be a playoff team cause their team is still super deep. It, it's an interesting thing when you look at a guy like Nembhard, when you look at the Pacers as a whole, like we're so easily writing them off, right? Ben Mathurin is a guy that I think of and I'm saying he is super talented. You can see him playing with, uh, you know, Pascal Siakam and seeing if, you know, their chemistry can develop just with more usage and more opportunity to play. Ben Mathurin is a guy for me. Is, do you have somebody else or is that just your one? Yeah, I was thinking also Asser Thompson. I think the Asser leap is what's really gonna propel the Detroit Pistons. Cause the thing about Asser, I think he's been kind of overlooked because he dealt with the blood clot injury and he kinda came on mid-season. That's the guy that I'm really keen in on in Detroit that I think. Could be that X factor for them to go to that next level if they're gonna take it there. I agree with everything you said about Asser Thompson. I think he's gonna be in the most improved category, if not a bunch of other categories. What do you think about Alex Caruso? I know it's Washington, nobody pays attention to them. Because they're the Wizards and now they're trying to be Oklahoma City East. Alex Caruso just because of his physical makeup. Maybe I'm jumping on in a year early, but I'd rather be that guy to say, yeah, yeah, yeah, I saw Caruso along, but I won't gonna say it. No, I'm calling my shot. Now, I think this kid is gonna be good. Yeah, I mean, uh, so he was one of the players that I was really curious to watch in summer league, and, you know, he broke the summer league record for most blocks in the game with 8, but I think it was his shot selection that to me looked a bit improved. Now that we're kind of, they're reshaping the roster akin to, you know, the Oklahoma City Thunder, I think we should see a leap in Alsar. Close
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Shaq details why ‘I f–king hate' Rudy Gobert in wild rant as bad blood intensifies
Shaquille O'Neal's longstanding feud with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert took an even more drastic twist Thursday. The NBA Hall of Famer has traded barbs with Gobert for years, but this time it got personal. 'I f–king hate Rudy Gobert,' said O'Neal on his podcast 'The Big Podcast with Shaq.' Advertisement 'Because that motherf–ker making $250 million, [and] he don't deserve it, dawg. F–k that. As the president of The Big Man Alliance, you making big money, play like a f–king big man. That's it. Throw some [elbows], knock some people out, don't be letting little white dudes from Denver dunk on you and talk s–t to you.' Gobert, a four-time defensive player of the year, has averaged 11.7 rebounds, 12.6 points, 2.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game in his 12-year career. O'Neal is hoping those accomplishments aren't enough to make the two Hall of Fame counterparts. Advertisement 'If Rudy Gobert gets into the Hall of Fame, I'll wear this dress to the motherf–king ceremony,' said O'Neal while holding up a picture of Charles Barkley wearing a dress in a WeightWatchers commercial. O'Neal has targeted Gobert since at least 2021, when he made fun of his lack of offensive ability. Shaquille O'Neal is not a big fan of Rudy Gobert still. YouTube | Shaquille O'Neal Advertisement 'I'm not gonna hate, but this should be an inspiration to all the little kids out there,' O'Neal said. 'You average 11 points in the NBA, you can get $200 million.' His opinion of Gobert is so low that he even had rival Draymond Green's back when Green was suspended for putting Gobert in a headlock in 2023. Last season, O'Neal told Complex that Gobert was the worst NBA player of all time, along with Ben Simmons, whom he called 'another bum.' Advertisement Gobert responded to that diss on social media. O'Neal previously said he doesn't like Gobert because he averages 12 points per game. AP 'It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man's finances and accomplishments,' Gobert said. 'I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don't need that stuff to stay relevant.'
