Alex Len To Sign With Pacers After Clearing Waivers

The Washington Wizards have placed center Alex Len on waivers, the team announced. But he won’t be on the NBA waiver wire for long.

Len, who was acquired by the Wizards earlier this week in a three-team trade, intends to sign with the Indiana Pacers once he clears waivers, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The fifth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Len never fully lived up to the expectations tied to his high draft status, but he has remained a reliable frontcourt presence over 12 seasons.

The 31-year-old Ukrainian has played for the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, and Washington. Most recently, Len spent several seasons in Sacramento, where he appeared in 149 games (15 starts) across three and a half seasons, averaging 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.

Len was part of the package sent to the Wizards by the Kings in a deadline-day trade that also included Colby Jones, with Sacramento receiving Jake LaRavia from Memphis in return.

Despite making moves that included trading away big men Jonas Valanciunas and Marvin Bagley III, Washington chose not to retain Len, offering him the chance to join a playoff-contending team in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers, who opened the season with Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman backing up starting center Myles Turner, have been hit hard by injuries in the frontcourt. Both Jackson and Wiseman suffered Achilles tears early in the season, leaving the team thin in the middle.

While Indiana acquired Thomas Bryant in December, the team is still in need of additional veteran depth, especially with Turner currently dealing with a neck strain.

The Pacers recently traded Wiseman to Toronto in a salary dump move, clearing enough cap space to sign Len to a rest-of-season contract. With the trade, Indiana also opened a spot on their 15-man roster and moved far enough below the luxury tax threshold to add Len without issue.

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