The Indiana Pacers have exercised the team option on center Micah Potter and have extended a qualifying offer to two-way wing Jalen Slawson. Both moves were completed just before the free-agency clock begins, fulfilling the final roster actions the front office needed to make.

Potter’s option remains non-guaranteed and carries a salary just over $2.8 million for the upcoming season. In the previous campaign he posted 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting with a level of efficiency that placed him among the league’s most effective big men. He flirted with a 50-40-90 shooting line, falling short only at the foul line, and his ability to stretch the floor with reliable three-point shooting gives Indiana a modern stretch-four option.

Photo: Tony East / Forbes

The decision sets up a direct competition with fellow center Jay Huff for the backup five role. Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard emphasized that the two will battle for that spot, a scenario that will play out in training camp as coaches weigh Potter’s shooting range against Huff’s traditional post play. This internal contest underscores the team’s emphasis on flexibility and performance-based merit.

Slawson joined Indiana on a two-way contract late in the season and appeared in 13 NBA games, contributing off the bench. The bulk of his rookie year was spent with the G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, where he earned All-Defensive Team honors and averaged 19.3 points per contest. His defensive reputation and scoring upside made him one of the league’s more promising two-way assets, prompting the Pacers to retain his rights through a qualifying offer.

Both contracts reflect a low-risk, high-flexibility approach. Keeping Potter’s deal non-guaranteed allows the Pacers to waive him without a dead cap hit or include his salary in a future trade. The qualifying offer to Slawson preserves his developmental trajectory while giving Indiana the option to match any restricted-free-agency bid. Together, the moves provide Indiana with two cost-controlled pieces that could shape the depth chart for the upcoming campaign.