Unexpected Pivot: Monte Morris Steps Up as Mac McClung Sits Out – Can the Pacers Survive the Shake-Up?

Injuries have absolutely ravaged the Indiana Pacers this season—so much so that it’s almost surreal. We’re barely a week and a half into the campaign and already, the team’s front office has been forced into its fourth roster shuffle to compensate for the mounting absences. Today’s headline grabber? The departure of Mac McClung, who was just recently inked, making way for seasoned veteran Monte Morris. It’s a tough break for McClung, no doubt—a three-time Dunk Contest champ and former G-League MVP, now thrust back into free agency. Meanwhile, Morris, returning healthy after a calf strain shelved him during training camp, steps in as a much-needed steadying hand amid the chaos. With key guards like Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the season and others like Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard nursing injuries, Indiana’s backcourt depth is stretched thinner than ever—frontcourt issues only add to the despair. This move signals not just a roster adjustment, but a team scrambling to stay afloat in a sea of setbacks. LEARN MORE.

How hard have injuries hit the Pacers this season? We’re not even 10 games into the season, and today Indiana made its fourth roster move to try to plug the holes left by all the players out with injuries.

The latest move is to waive recently signed guard Mac McClung and replace him on the roster with veteran Monte Morris, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and confirmed by other reports.

Indiana had considered bringing in Morris to training camp, but he was dealing with a calf strain that was likely to keep him out most or all of camp, so the Pacers pivoted. Now, Morris is healthy, Indiana is even more desperate for help at the point, and the two are finally getting together. Morris, 30, is an eight-year NBA veteran who spent last season in Phoenix, averaging 5.2 points a night across 45 games (and less than 13 minutes per game).

This is unfortunate for McClung, the three-time Dunk Contest champion and former G-League MVP, who had signed a multi-year but non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers. He is now a free agent.

Indiana’s guard depth has been decimated by injuries this season: Tyrese Haliburton (out for season, torn Achilles), Bennedict Mathurin (foot), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), and T.J.McConnell (hamstring) are all out right now. (That’s not to mention frontcourt players Obi Toppin, Johnny Furphy and Kam Jones.)