Category: Indiana Pacers Blog

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Pacers sign Aaron Nesmith to contract extension

The Indiana Pacers have signed forward Aaron Nesmith to a contract extension.

Nesmith’s deal is reportedly a three-year, $33 million extension.

“Since Aaron Nesmith’s arrival a year and a half ago, he has continually and consistently grown to become a respected teammate and an important part of what we’re building here,” said President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard.

Per the Indianapolis Star, “Monday was the last day rookie scale contracts could be extended for players in the 2020 draft class heading into the final year of their four-year deals. The Pacers extended All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton’s deal, as soon as possible when the clock struck midnight on July 1 when he signed a five-year deal that could pay him up to $260 million.”

“Aaron continues to selflessly accept and succeed in every role that has been asked of him, all for the overall benefit of our team’s success, and given his trajectory to this point, we’re looking forward to a bright future with him.”

Pacers trade Chris Duarte to Kings

The Sacramento Kings yesterday acquired guard Chris Duarte in a trade with the Indiana Pacers for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2030 second-round pick.

During the 2022-23 season, Duarte averaged 7.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 46 games (12 starts) for the Pacers. He was selected to participate in the 2022 NBA Rising Stars Challenge and went on to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team after posting averages of 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals per contest in 55 games (39 starts) in 2021-22.

Duarte appeared in 101 games (51 starts) for the Pacers, averaging 10.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He was selected 13th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Oregon after receiving Pac-12 Player of the Year honors for his performance during the 2020-21 season.

Pacers acquire Serge Ibaka and George Hill in multi-team trade

The Indiana Pacers announced today the team acquired forward Jordan Nwora, guard George Hill, center Serge Ibaka and three future second-round picks from the Milwaukee Bucks – as well as cash considerations from the Brooklyn Nets – as part of a four-team trade that included Milwaukee, Brooklyn and the Phoenix Suns. As part of the trade, the Pacers sent the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet to Brooklyn.

In related moves, the team waived center Goga Bitadze, and forwards James Johnson and Terry Taylor.

Pacers sign Myles Turner to contract extension

The Indiana Pacers have signed center Myles Turner to a multi-year contract extension.

Per the Indianapolis Star, “Turner received approximately $58 million in new money through the 2025-26 season. According to news reports, Turner renegotiated his contract to add $17.1 million this year in addition to approximately $41 million over the next two seasons.”

Turner, who was originally selected by the Pacers with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft has appeared in 473 career regular-season games, posting averages of 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game. Additionally, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team and was selected to participate in the 2017 NBA Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend. Turner led the league in blocked shots per game (2.7) and total blocked shots (199) during the 2018-19 season, and then again led the league in blocked shots per game (3.4) in the 2020-21 season. He is currently fourth all-time in Pacers history in blocked shots (1,086) and is second all-time in blocked shots per game (2.3).

In 2015, Turner introduced the W.A.R.M. (“Work As Role Models”) initiative, which was created to provided assistance and resources to those less fortunate, particularly those experiencing homelessness. His support of the W.A.R.M. program will continue this season when he hosts an event with his “Turner’s Block” fan section to create and assemble wellness kits for distribution following the Pacers game vs. Cleveland on Sunday, February 5, 2023.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton out with elbow sprain and knee bone contusion

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a left elbow sprain and a mild left knee bone contusion during the third quarter of last night’s game at New York. He underwent an MRI this afternoon on his elbow and knee in Indianapolis and the team is awaiting additional opinion on the results of those scans.

Haliburton will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks and updates will be provided as appropriate.

Pacers center Daniel Theis out after knee surgery

Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis underwent a successful surgical procedure on his right knee to address persistent soreness.

Theis will be out indefinitely, and his status will be updated as appropriate.

Per the Indianapolis Star, “Theis, who was acquired from the Boston Celtics in July in the trade that sent away Malcolm Brogdon, has not appeared in a game yet this season.”

Pacers exercise contract options on Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson

The Indiana Pacers have picked up the fourth-year option on guards Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith, and the third-year option on guard Chris Duarte and forward Isaiah Jackson.

Per the Indianapolis Star, “the moves keep all four under contract through 2023-24, the fourth years of Haliburton and Nesmith’s respective careers and the third for Duarte and Jackson.”

More from the Star: “The Pacers acquired Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings last season in a trade involving Domantas Sabonis. He averaged 17 points and 10 assists per game in 26 games after the deal. At 22 years old and entering his third season, he’s now among the Pacers most experienced players as they rebuild.”

Indiana Pacers and Bally Sports Indiana extend media rights agreement

Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced yesterday a multi-year media rights extension with Bally Sports Indiana, the longtime television home of the Pacers and Fever.

Under the agreement, Bally Sports Indiana will continue to televise and stream all available regular season Pacers games, two pre-season games, and available first-round post-season games each season. The regional sports network will also carry up to 10 Fever games per season. Bally Sports Indiana is entering its 27th season as the Pacers’ media partner.

“The partnership renewal with Bally Sports Indiana allows Pacers and Fever fans to access the basketball content they love however they choose to consume it,” said PS&E Chief Executive Officer Rick Fuson. “The upcoming launch of Bally Sports+ complements the traditional content distribution model by delivering our games and other programming directly to the consumer. This ensures a direct connection to anyone in the region, a major priority for us as we finalized this deal.”

“We’re extremely proud of our 27-year partnership with the Pacers and thrilled to announce an extension of our media rights,” said Jack Donovan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Bally Sports Indiana. “Pacers Sports & Entertainment is one of the most-respected organizations in sports, and the Pacers consistently generate some of the highest local-market TV ratings in the NBA. We look forward to continuing to deliver high-quality productions of Pacers basketball to as many fans as possible, on cable, satellite, streaming TV and now via a new way to watch: Bally Sports+, our direct-to-consumer streaming service.”