The Celtics stand at 0-3 and still have a virtual ‘Open for Hiring – Only Centers Need to Apply’ sign on the shop. Things might be finally looking up for them. That is if they’re swooping in for James Wiseman. The center has hit the market after the Pacers waived him a week into the 2025-26 season. NBA insiders are sounding the alarm without naming the Celtics for them to get the message. If they do ‘Wise Up.’ (pun intended), they have Mac MacClung to think.

The Pacers are top heavy with centers who haven’t met the bar Myles Turner set in Indiana. They were seemingly keen on the Dunk Contest extraordinaire, Mac McClung after he was signed and waived by the Bulls in three hours. But they needed more cap space for the 26-year-old.

The rumors were confirmed by Shams Charania. “The Pacers plan to waive center James Wiseman to create roster space for McClung, who will sign a non-guaranteed multiyear deal, sources said. Indiana is dealing with several key injuries to their guards and wings to start the season.”

It was actually a Kings reporter who announced like a town crier, “A 24-year-old, 6-11 big man just hit the open market.” He probably meant for his team that’s lacking some front court depth in the centers they do have. But this is about the team that’s missing centers.

The Celtics traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet and Al Horford entered free agency this offseason. Apart from Kristaps being The Unicorn, Horford played more games than him as a backup because of the former’s health. In their absence, they added Neemias Queta to the starting lineup and Luka Garza is sidelined from a concussion. Clearly the Celtics frontcourt still needs a backup and more depth.

James Wiseman might be a fit just because of his availability on the market. He’s, however, had very little opportunities by fate to show his talent. Or should the Celtics take the first center they find?

Pacers fixed the problem Boston couldn’t

Ahead of training camp season, Shams Charania’s ESPN colleague dropped a concerning analysis of the offseason titled, ‘Biggest roster holes for all 30 NBA teams for the 2025-26 season.’ Both the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics lacked two-way center play.

The Pacers do have backups in that position but the first week showed some lackluster play by Isaiah Jackson. Their biggest roster gap right now is the lack of a true point guard. Chances are Tyrese Haliburton won’t be returning anytime soon and Kevin Porter Jr’s injury in the first game turned up the desperation. That’s why they’d do anything to get Mac McClung’s aerial showmanship.

They had not experimented with James Wiseman while Myles Turner was around and didn’t play him at all so far. As per analysts, there could be a lack of trust in the youngster. He’s not had enough opportunity to develop since coming into the league in 2020.

Right after a season-high 25 points for the Warriors in 2021, he tore his meniscus and was ruled out for the whole season. He’d sprain his ankle in 2022 and the Warriors wouldn’t call him back after that. His Detroit stint showed improvement by the time the Pacers signed him in 2024.

His time in Indiana has been more of a rollercoaster. In the season-opener of 2024-25,  he tore his Achilles. The Pacers would trade him to the Raptors in 2025 for cash considerations and he was waived right after. He’d re-sign with the Pacers this offseason but didn’t see any minutes before getting waived.

One of his most glaring flaws is his rebounding woes. He relates to Boston in that. Their rebounding has been a trainwreck which adds to their desperation for a big. It’s not clear if they’d pursue Wiseman yet. However, if rumors are to be believed, they’re eyeing Day’Ron Sharpe, the 23-year-old center for the Nets. At 20.4%, he’s got the highest rebounding in the NBA currently. The only problem might be they don’t have the tradeable piece for him.

They’re still under the second apron. So maybe signing a free agent would be their most ideal backup.