Pacers waive Kelan Martin one day before his contract would've been guaranteed

The Pacers have waived reserve guard/forward Kelan Martin ahead of the contract-guarantee deadline on Friday, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Martin was playing on a non-guaranteed contract this season. It’s a tough blow for Martin, who’s currently isolating at home after contracting COVID-19, Agness relays.

Martin, 26, has appeared in 27 games this season with Indiana, averaging 6.3 points and two rebounds in 16.4 minutes per contest. His shooting line of .417/.297/.692 isn’t great, but to be fair to him, it’s hard to get a rhythm playing a limited role.

After a productive four-year college career with Butler, Martin went undrafted in 2018 and spent his first season as a professional playing in Germany. He caught on with the Timberwolves for the 2019-20 season, signing a two-way deal, and then spent last season and nearly half of this season with the Pacers. Martin and the Pacers had previously agreed to push back his guarantee date a couple of times, but ultimately the team decided to open a roster spot by waiving him.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes that Martin will have a $801,900 cap hit for the Pacers, and the team is now $2.3M below the luxury-tax threshold.