Indiana
Indiana Pacers have battle underway for final roster spot ahead of regular season
INDIANAPOLIS — While the Indiana Pacers are currently pushing through a training camp marked by continuity, a few new players on the roster are involved in a roster battle for the final spot(s) on the team.
As it stands right now, the Pacers have 19 players under contract. When the regular season starts, that number has to be 18, at most — a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts and three players on two-way deals. By October 19, Indiana will have to cut at least one player so they clear the waiver process by the Monday before the regular season starts.
Multiple Indiana players are signed to contracts that are not fully guaranteed for the coming. Kendall Brown and the newly-added Cole Swider won’t earn money unless they are on the Pacers roster come opening night. “He’s a guy competing for the 15th spot,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Swider. James Wiseman ($500k) and James Johnson ($750k) have partial guarantees in their contracts for the 2024-25 season. In theory, any of them could be involved in the battle for the last spot on the roster.
In reality, it likely comes down to Swider, Brown, and perhaps the players on two-way deals. Currently, the guys on a two-way contract in Indiana are Quenton Jackson, Tristen Newton,and Enrique Freeman.
Freeman has shown the most among that group. He stood out during summer league play, and Indiana signed both Jackson and Newton to a two-way deal at the same time. The Freeman agreement came a few weeks later only after other considerations were sorted out, which suggests that the Pacers were considering him for a standard contract before agreeing to a two-way deal.
As things stand now, though, it would appear as if the Pacers battle for the 15th and final roster spot comes down to Brown vs Swider, with other players in the mix pending extreme performances during training camp and preseason — good or bad.
Production will matter in the coming weeks to settle the battle for the final roster spot(s). “Just how all these all these guys competing for it play,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the key factors involved in the decision. “How they compete, how they manage game situations when they have chances to play.”
Both Swider and Brown are technically two-way eligible, so there are a lot of moving parts, but their willingness to take a two-way deal is unknown. Their contracts can’t be directly converted. As it stands, Swider’s expert shooting ability and Brown’s athleticism and potential are competing to stand out during upcoming action. Even before the blue and gold added Swider, Brown’s summer league play created questions about the back end of Indiana’s roster.
The 21-year old Brown was drafted by the Pacers with the 48th overall pick in 2022. They have seen him develop across the last two seasons, which were both spent primarily on two-way contracts. In March, he inked a three-year deal with the franchise, but only the first year contained guaranteed money.
Swider, meanwhile, has been with other teams (the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat) on two-way deals in recent seasons. Both players are inexperienced. Swider is older and more of a specialist — his three-point shooting has been exceptional in the G League and during summer league outings. Brown is fast and can jump out of the gym, and his game is being built out from his athletic tools.
“Whether it’s him (Swider), whether it’s Kendall, or whether it’s one of the guys that’s presently on a two-way [deal]. That’s kind of where that is,” Carlisle said of the Pacers final roster spot. “I’m anxious to see how these guys compete.”
Swider’s cap hit is ever so slightly smaller than Brown’s, but that difference is negligible for the Pacers’ planning. They will be under the luxury tax with either player — and if a two-way player earns the final roster spot, their cap hit would be even smaller. Financially, there is no issue for Indiana, and they can reconsider things ahead of the league wide contract guarantee date in January.
“It’s not [certain] that we [will] keep a 15th person. Someone’s got to earn that spot,” Carlisle said.
Tonight, the Pacers begin preseason play. It’s one of the first chances for the players competing for a spot to show what they can do, and the battle for the Pacers final roster opening will be a story throughout training camp.
INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.
That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.
Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.
Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.
“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”
Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.
And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.
HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.
“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”
Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”
HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.
“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”
It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.
Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.
“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.
Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued an Air Quality Action Day for July 8th in Northwest Indiana.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range, also known as the “orange” level. While not everyone will notice or be effected by the conditions, and while they may not be as severe as recent wildfire smoke events, individuals with asthma, COPD, and other health issues should proceed with caution when exercising outside.
Ozone levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range, also known as the “orange” level. (WSBT Photo)
The affected area is all of Northwest Indiana, including the cities of: Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, Kentland, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer, Valparaiso and all other cities in the region, especially those near Lake Michigan.
Warm temperatures, mostly sunny skies, and light and varied winds coming off of Lake Michigan are expected to contribute to elevated ozone levels.
To stay up to date on issuances and quality levels in Indiana, visit SmogWatch.IN.gov.
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