Pacers waive veteran James Johnson and rookies Mast and Keita, leaving the 15th spot open under the apron

The Indiana Pacers cut veteran forward James Johnson and rookie big men Keba Keita and Rienk Mast on Saturday, October 17, leaving them with 14 players on standard deals and an empty 15th spot that the first-apron hard cap will not let them fill for now.

The timing was deliberate. Waivers placed on Saturday clear before the league’s opening-night roster deadline at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, October 19, so Indiana avoids paying any of the three for an extra day of the regular season.

The moves

Keita went undrafted out of BYU in June, and Mast joined as a rookie free agent after his college career at Nebraska. Because both were on Exhibit 10 contracts, each can collect a bonus if he stays with Indiana’s G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, for 60 days or more, which is where both are expected to land. Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files reported that six more players were signed and waived so they could join the Boom as affiliate players: Wade Taylor IV, Cameron Hildreth, Kowacie Reeves Jr., M.J. Iraldi, Keion Brooks Jr. and Jalen Warley.

Why Johnson had to go

This was a cap decision, not a basketball one. The Pacers are already a luxury-tax team and sit close enough to the first apron, where they are hard-capped, that a full veteran-minimum salary for Johnson would not fit. Keeping him would have meant crossing a line the rules do not allow them to cross.

The door is not closed. Minimum contracts are prorated by the days left in the season, so the cost of a veteran minimum shrinks every day. Agness reported that Indiana hopes to bring the 39-year-old back next month, once that prorated number slides under the apron, though he noted the plan could still change. With no Exhibit 10 clause in his camp contract, Johnson is not headed to the G League in the meantime.

Rick Carlisle made clear what the Pacers lose in the locker room, calling Johnson “a tone setter” after the move.

Where the roster stands

Indiana carries 17 players in total: 14 on standard contracts plus Braden Smith, Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown on two-way deals, who will also spend time in Noblesville under first-year Boom head coach Bryce Taylor. Teams may open with 14 standard players for a limited stretch, which gives the front office room to wait for the apron math to work before adding a 15th man.

What comes next

The Pacers open the 2026-27 regular season at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, October 21, at 8 p.m. ET (Game Center).