Quenton Jackson Gets Indiana Pacers Final Two-Way Deal Before Deadline

On Monday, the Indiana Pacers announced that they had signed guard Quenton Jackson to a two-way contract. The 25-year old guard is in his second season in the NBA.

Jackson, who attended Texas A&M and spent three years in the NCAA ranks, had time with the Washington Wizards on a two-way contract last season. He averaged 6.2 points and 1.7 assists per game for the Wizards, and he appeared in nine games.

To be eligible for a two-way contract, a player must have fewer than four years of NBA experience. Because Jackson only has one year of service under his belt, he was eligible for the agreement. Two-way deals are contracts that can be transferred between the NBA and the G League throughout the season, so Jackson will spend time with both the Pacers and their G League affiliate team, the Indiana Mad Ants.

The timing of this deal is related to a deadline. March 4 was the final day that teams were permitted to sign players to a two-way contract, and the Pacers had one such deal available to offer after promoting the contract of young wing Kendall Brown, who was previously on a two-way agreement. Now, the Pacers have a full roster — 15 players are on a standard contract with the team, and three others have two-way deals.

Players on two-way contracts receive half of the rookie minimum for their salary. For a full season, that number would be about $560,000, but Jackson’s deal is prorated to the day he signed his contract.

With Jackson officially signing on March 4, his salary will be roughly $135,000 with the Pacers this season. Players on two-way deals are allowed to appear in 50 games during a full NBA season, and that number is prorated as well. Jackson can be active for 12 of the Pacers final 20 games.

The blue and gold have been all about flexibility and options this season. They kept roster spots open when they needed to and didn’t use their exceptions until late in the campaign. That made it easier to grab Brown on a more favorable deal, and they were able to use the open two-way slot to add Jackson.

“Some of it is trying to keep flexibility with our roster. We wanted to have the ability to maybe look at some other players with our last roster spot,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of his team’s moves and waivers just after the trade deadline.

Jackson spent his first day in the Indiana organization practicing with the Mad Ants. “I’m just high-spirited, goofy,” Jackson said, per the team. He thinks his energy will fit in anywhere, including with his new squad.

This season, Jackson has been with the Chicago Bulls organization. He played with the NBA club for preseason action, where he appeared in three games, but he was waived prior to the start of the NBA campaign. He landed with the Windy City Bulls in the NBA G League.

In 38 outings for Windy City, Jackson averaged 16 points and 5.8 assists per game. As a bigger, scoring guard, he can slot in as an off-ball starter for the Mad Ants once he is up to speed. The Pacers’ G League affiliate team will have a quality guard rotation with Isaiah Wong, Elfrid Payton, and Jackson all getting playing time.

Jackson reached 19 points in his most recent NBA outing, and he averaged 11.3 points per game in his final four appearances for Washington. He has proven to be a good scorer at the pro level — he will hope to grow in other ways with the Pacers.

Wong and Oscar Tshiebwe occupy Indiana’s other two two-way deals. The Mad Ants next play on Thursday, so perhaps Jackson makes his debut in the organization on that date. The Pacers, meanwhile, will have to decide when to use his 12 available games in the NBA — if they use them at all.