The Indiana Pacers cleared the path for Braden Smith on Friday, waiving Ethan Thompson and opening up a two-way roster spot.
Thompson’s exit quickly led to a new landing spot. He has agreed to a two-year deal with KK Partizan of the EuroLeague, a one-plus-one contract according to two reports out of Serbia from Nova.rs and Meridian Sport.
Partizan’s official announcement described Thompson this way: “Ethan Thompson is Partizan's new basketball player Mozzart Bet! The American guard who plays for the Puerto Rican national team is the eighth player to join the black and whites this summer.Thompson joins Partizan from the Indiana Pacers.
In addition to the NBA, the former Oregon State College player played in the developmental league, where he was a teammate of Karlik Jones in the Chicago Bulls affiliate.The new black and white basketball player was born in California on May 4, 1999, and comes from a basketball family. His father, Steven, played in the NBA, while his older brother, Steven Jr., also played for the Puerto Rican national team.Ethan signed a two-year contract with the black and whites.”
With Thompson gone, Smith now appears to be next in line. Indiana selected him in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft, and Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star reported that the Pacers planned to sign him to a two-way deal.
That move still hasn’t happened, even though nearly two months have passed since the draft. The reason was simple: the Pacers already had Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown on two-way contracts, leaving no opening for Smith until Thompson was waived.
There is still another route, though it does not look like the likely one. Indiana could sign Smith to a zero-year veteran’s minimum contract, but the team seems more inclined to keep that roster spot open for a more useful veteran addition than use it on a developing player.
Salary-cap timing also matters here. Under the minimum salary exception rules, proration doesn’t start until after the first day of the season. With only $2.23 million in first apron space, the Pacers would have to wait a few weeks into the season before they could sign a player to a minimum deal.
That means there’s no real urgency, but if Indiana wants veteran help later, it should be able to make it work around the middle of November.
The free-agent market at that point usually doesn’t offer a blockbuster name, but the Pacers have seen late-season pickups matter before. Tony Bradley in 2024-25 and Micah Potter in 2025-26 are examples.
Among the unrestricted free agents Indiana could consider are Kevin Love, Nick Richards, Kelly Olynyk, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, Tony Bradley, Bruce Brown, Nic Batum, and Aaron Holiday.
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