Pacers withdraw offer to Enrique Freeman as Taelon Peter grabs last two-way spot
Enrique Freeman was one of the Pacers' top performers in the Summer League, but a logjam in the frontcourt made his roster fight an uphill climb.
Pacers' surprise second-round pick Taelon Peter has earned the team's final two-way contract for the 2025-26 season, a league source confirmed to the IndyStar on Thursday. Forward Enrique Freeman, who played last season under a two-way contract after the Pacers took him in the second round of the 2024 draft, had his qualifying offer rescinded and is now an unrestricted free agent.
HoopsHype's Michael Scotto originally reported the Peter agreement on Thursday after Keith Smith of Spotrac reported Freeman's offer was rescinded around midnight Wednesday.
Quenton Jackson has already signed a two-way contract and on "Setting the Pace" podcast, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan gave every indication point guard RayJ Dennis would have one as well. That left one between Freeman — last year's No. 50 overall pick — and Peter, this year's No. 54 pick.
Both players had strong performances in the NBA Summer League. Peter averaged 9.5 points per game on 57.1% shooting. Freeman posted double-doubles in each of his last four games and averaged 16.6 points per game on 72.5% shooting and 9.6 rebounds.
However, Buchanan told Alex Golden earlier this week that Peter had the edge.
"We'll probably be looking at Taelon," Buchanan said on "Setting the Pace." "We haven't decided for sure on that yet. He probably makes sense from that standpoint. We like a lot of things he does as far as playing without the ball, his shooting, his movement. I thought he showed very encouraging signs defending the ball in Las Vegas."
Freeman played center for the Pacers in Summer League and got work there in limited minutes for the Pacers last season and his skill set seems best suited for that position. However, at 6-7, 220 pounds he's not quite big enough to play it effectively in the NBA even if he can reliably play it in the G League. The Pacers also have four centers on standard contracts on the 15-man roster in Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman and Tony Bradley, so it's not necessary to have another big man among the two-way players.
"He's on the cusp of being an NBA roster type player," Buchanan said. "His challenge is his position for the NBA. We play him at a lot of 5. He's probably undersized for that for the NBA. He's got a motor. He has a nose for the ball. He's tough. He's smart. It's a tough decision for us, but the backcourt spot is probably more where we need some depth."
Peter played at Tennessee Tech as a freshman in college, then transferred to Division II Arkansas Tech for three seasons before returning to Division I to play at Liberty last season. He helped lead the Flames to a Conference USA title, earning conference Sixth Man of the Year honors with 13.7 points per game. He shot 57.8% from the floor and 45.3% from 3-point range, leading Division I in true shooting percentage.
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