This study examined the current-induced spin wave excitation in asymmetric nanopillar junctions with a stack sequence of 20 nm Pt/10 nm Cu/7 nm NiFe/300 nm Cu, and a circular lateral dimension of 240 nm. An analysis of the magnetic and magnetotransport characteristics of the junction showed a possible spin transfer effect at this sample dimension when the magnetization was switched from a vortex state to another state. This finding is expected to help improve the understanding of the spin transfer torque phenomenon in nanopillar junctions.