Pacers bring back Garrison Mathews for second 10-day hardship deal

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers plan to sign wing Garrison Mathews to a new 10-day hardship agreement. Mathew’s first deal with the Pacers expired after Saturday night.

Mathews, 29, originally joined the Pacers on Nov. 20 on a hardship contract. He played in five games during his first contract with the team, and Indiana went 2-3 in those games. Mathews has averaged 9.2 minutes per game with the team so far.

His on-field production has been muted. The six-year veteran shot 2/13 from the field during his first 10-day pact – all thirteen shots were three-point attempts – and his effectiveness in other areas was not noticeable. His defense was sub-par. But he was only in the team for 10 days, a challenge players face mid-season, and Mathews’ career record suggests he can shoot the ball better than from long range. With more time to acclimatize, better performance can be expected.

What does Garrison Mathews bring to the Pacers?

“His experience. His shooting ability,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said when asked what he likes about Mathews. “He’s a spacer and a guy who can change the geometry of the game with his shooting.”

Mathews played for the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks before getting his chance with the Pacers. He spent most recent training camp and preseason with the New York Knicks but was waived just before the start of the regular season. The Pacers picked him up less than a month into the 2025-26 season.

In Mathews’ most productive season, he averaged 10 points per game for the Rockets. That was in 2021-2022. Since then he has had smaller roles but has improved his long-range shooting accuracy on difficult attempts from deep. He is a threat from long range and creates distance even when his shot is not falling.

Now he joins the Pacers on a new hardship contract. By default, hardship deals can only last ten days, so Mathews will remain with the Blue and Gold until December 10 on his new contract.

“I’ve always loved this team. They play fast, they have really good guards, anyone can score on this team,” Mathews said when asked how he could be useful to the Pacers. “I think I’ll fit in really well if I can space the floor… Just to be able to space the floor, run and knock down open shots and do things like that, I think I can help this team.”

To qualify for a hardship exception, a team must be dealing with multiple injuries. Specifically, a full 15-man roster must include four players who have missed at least three games in a row, and those players must be expected to be out for approximately two more weeks.

For the Pacers, injuries have been the story of their season. Tyrese Haliburton (achilles) is out for a year, Obi Toppin (toe) will miss several months, and Aaron Nesmith (knee), Johnny Furphy (ankle) and Kam Jones (back) are all currently sidelined. Furphy was recently assigned to the G League for a practice session, but a combination of four players from the aforementioned five contributes to the Pacers hardship contract eligibility. Haliburton and Toppin are two of the five.

Quenton Jackson, a productive Pacers player on a two-way contract, has not played since Nov. 3 due to a hamstring injury. But players on two-way deals don’t contribute to hardship eligibility for NBA teams. That’s just more bad luck for Indiana in a season full of them.

Mathews’ 10-day deal counts just under $132,000 against the salary cap. Between Mathews’ first contract and three other hardship deals the Pacers have handed out this season, they have spent nearly $660,000 on 10-day hardship contracts this season. It was a boundary requirement for the team to sign players so that a natural rotation could occur each night.

This move follows the Pacers making a change to their two-way contract space, replacing RayJ Dennis with Ethan Thompson. Indiana’s reserve wing/off-ball guard room has seen significant changes over the past two days as they continue to battle injuries with signings. The Pacers host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight.