On Wednesday, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that the Pacers were signing former Phoenix Suns forward Cody Martin to a 10-day hardship contract. Indiana has eight players listed as out before Wednesday's game against Brooklyn, so the Pacers turned to Martin for some help.
Martin spent the second half of last season with the Suns after Phoenix acquired him in the Jusuf Nurkic trade with the Hornets, which was a salary dump. He appeared in 14 games for the Suns to finish out the 2024-25 season, averaging 3.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 14.7 minutes.
Phoenix waived Martin's $8.7 million salary on June 30 before his contract was set to become guaranteed. After spending the past four months as a free agent, he is now with a new team, albeit temporarily. Martin will join Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who signed a 10-day hardship contract with Indiana a few days ago. The Pacers also recently signed Mac McClung, but that was to a non-guaranteed multi-year deal.
Indiana hasn't been able to catch a break. Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles' tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder in June, and since the 2025-26 season started, things haven't gotten any better. One of the Pacers' latest injury blows involved forward Obi Toppin, who will be out until at least February after undergoing foot surgery.
Pacers plan to sign Cody Martin to a 10-day hardship contract
Martin, 30, spent the first four and a half seasons of his NBA career in Charlotte after the Hornets selected him in the second round of the 2019 draft. His best season was in 2021-22, during which he averaged 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in 71 contests (11 starts), shooting 48.2% from the field and 38.4% from three-point range.
The circumstances behind his arrival in Indiana are unfortunate, but the signing gives Martin a chance to make an impact after spending the past few months waiting for his next opportunity.
He might've still been in Phoenix if it weren't for the Suns wanting to avoid the luxury tax. It was the right move for Phoenix to make, even if some fans wanted to see Martin hang around. The fact that he was still on the market until the beginning of November, and that it took Indiana getting hit with countless injuries for Martin to be signed, says a lot.
Still, hopefully, for Martin's sake, he's able to do something with the Pacers.