The story of the Indiana Pacers and James Johnson is about to enter a new chapter. After a year away from the court for the veteran small forward, the organization has made his return official to form part of the squad that will participate in the preseason.
The agreement the team and the player signed is an Exhibit 9 that will allow him to be present at all of the training camp that starts next week; however, seeing him on the opening night roster will be another story.
Currently Indiana has a maneuvering margin of only $2.2 million below the first apron threshold, with 14 players under standard guaranteed contracts. Signing Johnson would count for $2.45 million, so they cannot do it without paying a much higher price.
Looking for a solution, it is true that the Pacers will be able to add a fifteenth player on a prorated veteran minimum contract starting November 5, so it could be the moment chosen to bring Johnson back, who on earlier occasions has had several short-term deals before remaining in Indianapolis through the rest of the season.
The Role of James Johnson with the Pacers
Selected 16th overall in the 2009 draft, Johnson has accumulated up to 786 games across 16 NBA seasons. He arrived in Indiana in 2022, where he has mostly filled the role of mentor and locker-room leader, seeing very little playing time off the bench. Between 2022 and 2025 there were exactly 39 regular-season games, plus five in the run to the Finals in the spring of 2025.
