Micah Potter has had an interesting NBA ride since graduating from Wisconsin. The former Badger had a bit of a resurgence this season for Indiana and was a nice option off the bench and as a fill-in for injuries for the Pacers. However, he still hasn't quite proven he's a mainstay, even with the latest roster decision. In fact, the Pacers' decision may only prove that they are still figuring out how to handle Potter.
According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the Pacers have decided to exercise the $2.8 million team option for Potter. This is mostly good news for Potter, though it has a wrinkle of "prove yourself" to it. Since this is a non-guaranteed deal for 2026-2027, the Pacers gave themselves time to see how Potter performs in training camp and Summer League. Potter has shown promise and will continue to prove his worth.
The Indiana Pacers plan to exercise the $2.80 million team option on Micah Potter, which is fully non-guaranteed for the 2026-27 season and have extended a two-way qualifying offer to Jalen Slawson, league sources told @hoopshype.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 29, 2026
Former Badger Micah Potter still has something to prove to the Pacers in training camp
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Potter has done plenty to prove he's an NBA player, but the question will be whether he's a Pacer or not. The Pacers will work to figure him out into their plan, or they even have the opportunity to trade him with this option they picked up. He's a player who did a lot for the Pacers this season off the bench.
He averaged 19.3 minutes, 9.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this season. Early in the season, his stats weren't overly impressive, but in both February and April, when called upon more, he averaged over 12 points a game. He finished the season with five straight games of double-digit scoring, with even a 21-point game thrown in there.
The biggest problem for the Pacers is that they were terrible last season. Finishing 41 games out of reach of the first-place Detroit Pistons. The roster simply wasn't good enough to find consistent success, and the team is working to figure out how to improve in 2026-2027. Is Potter part of the future, or can they use him in a potential trade? He showed he can handle an NBA diet down in the paint, but also mostly showed that he's a great reserve off the bench.
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Ultimately, this contract decision means that the Indiana Pacers still have Micah Potter under team control and that the Pacers still want to hang onto his rights. This could mean that Potter works to showcase he's going to perform at the April level next season or that he's a valuable trade piece for Indiana. There's a lot going on right now in the NBA, and we will see, but this is the first step for Potter and his NBA future. The next step will be training camp. Either way, good for Potter, and since the NBA isn't full of former Badgers, there's some excitement in anything, even little things like this.
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