Indiana Pacers sign Josiah-Jordan James to camp contract, waive two players

The Indiana Pacers signed one player and waived two on Friday as they get their roster ready for training camp and the upcoming G League season.

Indiana added Keisei Tominaga and Tyler Polley via Exhibit 10 contracts earlier this week, which brought the team to 21 players in total. That’s the maximum allowed during the offseason.

One day later, both players were waived. Because both players were on contracts that contained Exhibit 10 language, they are eligible to receive a monetary bonus if they report to the Pacers G League affiliate franchise, the Indiana Mad Ants, for 60 days in the coming season.

With roster spots open and available, the Pacers officially signed a player that they agreed to terms with back in June. Josiah-Jordan James, a rookie wing out of Tennessee, signed an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday.

James averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his final collegiate season. He’s a solid wing who performed a pre-draft workout for Indiana earlier this summer. “This organization is second-to-none,” James said of the franchise at the time.

He has a lengthy previous relationship with Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith stayed in Indianapolis for one extra day in the offseason to watch James’ pre-draft workout. “I’ve known Aaron since I was in sixth grade,” said James of the relationship. “When we really got serious about the game of basketball, we pushed each other.”

The press release announcing the signing of James says that his Exhibit 10 deal will put him with the Mad Ants, so he will be waived prior to the start of the season. The rookie wing played for the Pacers in summer league, averaging 1.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game across three outings.