All of the Pacers injury and roster updates, in one place

INDIANAPOLIS – I can't blame you if you can't keep up with the 2025-26 Indiana Pacers health outlook. Hell, I can't blame you if you don't even know who is on the team. 21 games into the season, six players who weren't around for training camp have already played in a game for the blue and gold – that list includes Mac McClung, Ethan Thompson, Garrison Mathews, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Monte Morris, and Cody Martin.

The Pacers have been granted five hardship exceptions and signed or waived several players along the way. None of the moves have been bad choices or poor process, they've mostly all been done out of necessity due to the injury situation. To field a team with a rotation that makes sense, the Pacers have had to constantly tweak their roster with signings.

It's jarring on its own, even more so when compared to previous years. Specifically during the regular season, I counted eight total transactions for the 2024-25 Eastern Conference champion Pacers: signing Moses Brown, trading for Thomas Bryant, Waiving Tristen Newton/signing RayJ Dennis, trading away James Wiseman, signing Jahlil Okafor, then signing Tony Bradley three times (two 10-day deals, then to a standard deal that he is still on today). To reiterate, those moves cover the entire 82-game season. Only one of those moves, Moses Brown, came before December 3, 2024.

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It's December 3, 2025 right now. Let's count the number of moves the 2025-26 Pacers have already made since the regular season began (not even counting Delon Wright, Cam Payne, plus other camp moves):

1. October 28: Pacers waive James Wiseman and sign Mac McClung. They needed guard depth more than center depth with all of Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Quenton Jackson (he had recovered), Taelon Peter, Kam Jones, and T.J. McConnell injured at the time.
2. November 1: Pacers sign Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day hardship contract. The Pacers needed a wing/forward after losing Obi Toppin, especially with Johnny Furphy (who returned the day Robinson-Earl was signed) and Mathurin also sidelined. This move was possible because Haliburton, McConnell, Nembhard, and Jones had already missed four games in a row. On November 1.
3. November 5: Pacers sign Cody Martin to a 10-day hardship contract. The above four players were still out while both Toppin and Mathurin had officially missed four games, meaning they contributed to the Pacers hardship eligibility. Furphy and Q Jackson both got injured again. The Pacers needed another perimeter-based forward.
4. November 7: Pacers waive McClung, sign Monte Morris. The Pacers tried to get by with Ben Sheppard and Peter, when available, manning the point guard station. It didn't go particularly well. Once Dennis started to deal with some back pain, they needed another point guard more than they needed just any guard. In came Morris for McClung, the latter of whom is more of a scoring/two guard type. Nembhard returned from injury in the same game Morris debuted.
5. November 11: Robinson-Earl signs a second 10-day hardship contract with the Pacers. JRE has been productive for the Pacers, and with all of Haliburton, Furphy, Toppin, Jones, and Mathurin still out at the time, they were able to get another hardship exception. McConnell hadn't played yet either, but his return was coming.
6. November 20: Pacers sign Garrison Mathews to a 10-day hardship deal. Between Robinson-Earl's second 10-day deal and this contract, the Pacers got McConnell and Mathurin back from injury. That's good! In between, Pascal Siakam rested a game, Martin missed an outing due to illness and had his contract expire, and Aaron Nesmith suffered a knee injury. It's hard to keep up. At this moment, all of Haliburton, Jones, Furphy, and Toppin made it possible for the Pacers to use another hardship contract.
7. November 21: Pacers waive Monte Morris and sign Robinson-Earl to a standard contract. Finally, a transaction based more on merit than health/positional needs. With Dennis healthier and both McConnell and Nembhard available every night, the Pacers had less of a need for Morris. He was hardly playing despite hope he could be additive to lineups featuring two point guards. Robinson-Earl, meanwhile, proved he can be a weapon on the glass and is a good-enough defender. He's just 25, the right age for this Pacers team. His production was worth keeping, and Morris' non-guaranteed deal had to be removed to make it happen. To this day, Robinson-Earl is still around and in the Pacers' rotation.
8. November 30: Pacers waive Dennis and sign Ethan Thompson to two-way contract. My original theory for this move was that the Pacers weren't going to get another hardship deal but still wanted an off-ball guard type to play until Furphy or Jones could return. Thompson has been a terrific scorer in the G League and played for Jannero Pargo on the Pacers summer league squad a few years ago. They know his game and his potential. Why not? I personally think Dennis is a good player, and it's tough to lose him. He makes other guys better as a point guard. But his efficiency struggles in the NBA were obvious. He appeared in 13 games this season. It turns out, though, that my theory was wrong. The Pacers were eligible for another hardship contract.
9. December 1: Garrison Mathews signs a second 10-day hardship contract. Mathews wasn't productive on his first 10-day deal, but the Pacers believed in his track record as a shooter and overall player. Their belief was rewarded with a 15-point outing against the Cavaliers. This signing was possible due to the absences of Haliburton, Toppin, Nesmith, and Jones.

Clear as mud? Same, honestly. Observant readers will notice that the final transaction listed was the Pacers ninth of the season, meaning they have already made more moves in 2025-26 than they did in all of 2024-25. Trade season (December 15) hasn't even arrived yet.

It's been unbelievable, yet all essentially required given the team's injury outlook during the first six weeks of the season. While there have been a lot of moves in total, the Pacers roster hasn't changed that much. Mathews is on a hardship deal until December 10. Outside of that, the only differences from the Pacers opening night roster are as follows: Ethan Thompson has RayJ Dennis' two-way slot and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl holds a standard contract slot initially occupied by James Wiseman. The other 16 players are the same group that entered training camp together.

Now, let's talk injuries

Where to begin. Siakam missed a game for rest at one point (Nesmith rested that night, too). Let's start with that and put it off to the side.

The following players have been injured at some point for the Pacers this season (and how much time they missed/have missed), with bolded players currently sidelined:

1. Tyrese Haliburton – Torn right Achilles suffered in the NBA Finals back in June. He won't play this season.
2. Kam Jones – Lower back stress reaction. Jones' back injury popped up before training camp and he has yet to play this season but is getting closer to a return. His back is healed now. Here's the latest from head coach Rick Carlisle on November 24: "Kam has been out so long. He is recovered from the back injury. It was a stress reaction in one of the vertebrates... It required mobilization and the spine is a very mobile set of joints. He is recovered from that," Carlisle began. "But now, he begins a process of ramp up that's going to take some time. So I think it's reasonable to assume that when he is ready to play, there's a good chance that his first games will probably be with the G League team to get him back going. It's unlucky that he came up with that kinda out of nowhere. But he's doing better now which is good."
3. Obi Toppin – Partial stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Toppin has been out since October 26 (he had a hamstring injury, too) and won't return until at least February. I missed the game in which Carlisle explained this timeline (not injured, just in a wedding), but Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star has it all here. Toppin had surgery and is in a boot but is now walking at least somewhat.
4. Quenton Jackson – Right hamstring strain. Jackson missed the Pacers first two games of the season with a right hamstring injury, then returned on October 26 in Minnesota. He played in five games before re-injuring the same hamstring and hasn't played since November 3. The latest on Jackson's timeline from Carlisle came on November 24: "Maybe in the next couple of weeks sometime, don't know when. And I'm not saying he's going to be back in two weeks. Could be longer," Carlisle said. That was nine days ago. "Got some good news yesterday on progress that he's making, but the hamstrings are not to be messed around with. He's a dynamic player, we've got to make sure he's right before getting him back out there."
5. Johnny Furphy – Left ankle sprain. Furphy played for 59 seconds on opening night, then missed the next four games due to a bone bruise in his left foot. That's the same foot/ankle that is currently keeping Furphy out. He returned on November 1 in a win over the Warriors, but left the very next game with his current ankle injury – he and Jackson went down in the same outing. It looks like Furphy's absence will end soon and last for almost exactly one month as he's been upgraded to questionable for tonight's game between the Pacers and Nuggets. He practiced in the G League with the Noblesville Boom earlier this week. Carlisle's update on Furphy on November 24: "Johnny's situation is getting better. He's starting to do more activity on the floor. So I would think in the next couple of weeks sometime he could be back."
6. Aaron Nesmith – Left knee MCL sprain. Nesmith's knee hit the court when the Pacers were in Phoenix playing the Suns on November 13, and he hasn't played since. Carlisle said that Nesmith will be out for about four weeks on November 15 (I also missed that pregame media availability, also for a wedding, so here's Dopirak in the IndyStar again). Four weeks from November 15 would land on December 13, and Nesmith can't officially return until Mathews' current hardship contract expires on December 10.
7. Andrew Nembhard – Nembhard hurt his shoulder on opening night and missed the next seven games with a left shoulder strain. He also missed Pacers-Wizards last weekend with a quad issue but is back in the lineup.
8. Taelon Peter – Peter suffered a groin strain during the Pacers second outing of the season in Memphis. He missed two games but has been active since Halloween.
9. T.J. McConnell – McConnell left the Pacers first preseason game with a left hamstring strain and missed the first 10 games of the season. He was also dealing with soreness in the Pacers most recent outing and was limited to six minutes, but he's off the injury report.
10. Bennedict Mathurin – Mathurin suffered a right great toe sprain in Memphis during the Pacers second game of the season and missed the next 11 outings. He's been back on the hardwood since November 17 and is a quick healer.
11. Cody Martin – Martin missed one game due to illness. It was in Phoenix and it was the last game during the span of his hardship contract. Yes, a player on a hardship contract missed a game for the Pacers. It has all been ridiculous, but at least (currently) trending in the right direction.

So, a dozen players have missed a game at some point, counting Siakam. Reminder: there are only 18 roster spots, though the Pacers have had more at times due to hardship contracts. It's all connected, but between 12 absences and nine transitions, it's been a crazy first six weeks for the Pacers.

I have never seen anything like this covering the Pacers. Hopefully, having it all in one place is helpful. If you want updates on all of these signings and injuries sent straight to your email inbox, sign up for Circle City Spin with your email below.