Orlando Johnson was released by the Pacers on Thursday as a result of the Danny Granger deal, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Johnson was released by the Pacers on Thursday as a result of the Danny Granger deal, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Analysis:

After the Pacers acquired Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen in Thursday's trade deadline deal, they needed to make room on their roster, and Johnson was the casualty. The 24-year-old was averaging over 10 minutes per game in the early months of the season, but after Danny Granger returned healthy, his role was limited to only sporadic appearances. To get the former second-round pick some playing time, the Pacers sent Johnson to the D-League, where he played four games and posted a scoring average of 23.5 points. Despite showing potential, Johnson was ultimately deemed expendable when it came time to cut the roster down to 15 players. Expect him to catch on elsewhere, as another team should be able to find a place for him in a reserve role.