NBA Trade Rumors: Pacers 'Actively Pursuing' Center amid Wiseman, Jackson Injuries

The Indiana Pacers are "actively pursuing" a backup center after losing James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to season-ending injuries, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.

Wiseman suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during the Pacers' season opener, while Jackson suffered a right Achilles tendon tear ten days later.

Charania's report comes after the Pacers waived center Moses Brown on Monday. Indiana could use another player to join Obi Toppin in backing up starting center Myles Turner.

Brown, a mid-season signing, made his Pacers debut on Nov. 20. He played a season-high 12:28 minutes in his third game before the team began to restrict his playing time.

The backup center played fewer than five minutes in each of his last five appearances, culminating in him spending just 25 seconds on the court in a Dec. 4 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. He was then benched twice prior to being waived. The Pacers took on a $306,660 cap charge for releasing him, per Spotrac.

Brown's release coincided with the NBA granting the Pacers disabled player exceptions for $2.2 million and $1.2 million following the season-ending injuries to Jackson and Wiseman, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

The Pacers can now use those exceptions to take on salary that will not count against the salary cap when making a trade. The incoming salary can be worth up to $100,000 more than the DPE and still qualify, per Hoops Rumors.

Because the DPE can only be applied for this season, the Pacers will have to target players on expiring contracts or one-year deals. That market will open further on Dec. 15, when most free agents who signed last season become trade-eligible.

The Pacers currently sit just over $7 million below the first apron of the luxury tax, and $17 million below the highly-restrictive second apron, per Spotrac. Waiving Brown and instead using the DPE to sign a different backup center could help Indiana avoid trade and draft penalties by remaining below those thresholds.