INDIANAPOLIS — As of last Wednesday, Delon Wright wasn’t sure where or if he’d be playing basketball in 2025-26. Then on Thursday, the 33-year-old point guard got a call from the Pacers, who told him their signing of Monte Morris was about to fall through because of his calf strain. They asked him if he could get to Indiana as soon as possible.

It wasn’t a hard decision.

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“I wasn’t doing anything,” Wright said. “Just golfing.”

Wright has been in Indianapolis since Friday and he’s preparing for a challenge unlike he’s had in his previous 10 years in the NBA. In the press release announcing his signing, the Pacers referred to his contract as a “training camp deal.” Technically it’s a non-guaranteed standard contract, but the bottom line is he’s in a fight for the 15th and final standard contract. He’s one of three players in camp on non-guaranteed deals — there are three more on two-way contracts and two on Exhibit 10s who will almost certainly end up with the G League’s Noblesville Boom — and only two of them can be part of the roster on opening day. The Pacers seem likely to keep center James Wiseman, so the decision will most likely be between Wright and center Tony Bradley.

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“I’ve never actually been in this situation,” Wright said. “I’ve been around the league 11 years now. They know what I do. They brought me here for a reason. If I am on the team, good. If not, I know I’ll give it my all. A lot of it is out of my control.”

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It’s not entirely in his control, but at this point the numbers game seems to be working in his favor. The Pacers signed Wright because with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton out for the year with an Achilles tendon tear, they wanted another veteran point guard for depth behind Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell. Bradley gives the Pacers four centers, and would only seem to be necessary if WIseman or Isaiah Jackson show signs that they haven’t fully recovered from the Achilles tendon tears they suffered early last season.

And, as Wright mentioned, he has the benefit of an established track record. He’s played for 10 teams in his 10 seasons in the NBA. He’s started just 92 of the 548 NBA regular season games he’s appeared in and is averaging a modest 6.7 points and 3.0 assists per game for his career. But he has a career assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 3-to-1 and he has a reputation as a high level point-of-attack defender. He’s averaging 1.2 steals per game and is excellent at creating deflections.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle knows this because Wright played for him in Dallas in the 2019-20 season which, of course, finished in the COVID bubble. Wright averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game that season.

“Delon’s a good NBA player,” Carlisle said at Media Day on Monday. “He played for us in Dallas. He’s had good stints in a lot of places. … There’s an opportunity there for him. He seems to be in a good place physically and mentally. I think our style suits his abilities quite well.”

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And Wright likes the idea of playing with Carlisle again and the approach he’s brought to Indiana. Wright was on the Knicks team the Pacers defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals in May.

“Everybody touching the ball,” Wright said. “The defense, everybody picking up, getting into their man. I played with Rick in Dallas, so I know what he asks from his players. … It’s a major key for me. I just try to make sure I pick up on things that he’s harping.”

Wright also believes he can share the backcourt with Nembhard or McConnell because he has the size at 6-5 to play shooting guard. He’s had battles with McConnell going back to college when Wright was at Utah and McConnell at Arizona when the two schools were in the Pac-12. They’ve been running NBA second units for the last 10 seasons so they’ve seen each other plenty.

“That’s been my matchup, so I know what he brings,” Wright said. “For me, I know I’m interchangeable. If McConnell is at the 1 and I’m at the 2, I can play off him and I know vice versa. Andrew, he can play off other players, he played off Ty last year. I feel like we’re all versatile and can do multiple things.”

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Wright seems to have a sense that playing through camp on a non-guaranteed contract could be stressful, but he also has a sense that he’ll get a fair evaluation and then a chance to make a difference if he makes the roster.

“They have a never-quit mentality,” Wright said. “That’s something that I thrive on. Everybody gets an opportunity here. That’s a thing that excites a player like me who doesn’t get a lot of praise. I know if I am on this team I will get an opportunity at one point and a significant role.”

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Delon Wright ready to battle for Pacers’ last roster spot