Kelly Oubre Jr. Explains Why Pacers Were Better Fit Than 76ers

Kelly Oubre Jr. left the Philadelphia 76ers for the Indiana Pacers this summer after three seasons and 178 regular-season games. He explained the choice to Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype in a Q&A that ran Friday, tied to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 release.

Oubre sees himself as one piece in Indiana, not one of the main ones.

"For me, I have a lot left to give," Oubre said. "And the brand that I would choose to play for would be the Pacers organization, right? Fast pace, a little flair. But they have a great system in place through a great coach in Coach Carlisle. And I think they checked all the boxes for me, from what I was looking for to kind of get back to my roots and just to have fun playing the game."

"Philly was amazing. I loved my time there," Oubre continued. "But obviously, there's no shade, but it was a slower pace. So I'm a wing. I like to run. I like to play in transition, and Hali is like the best at that. So I think we have a great partnership and a great friendship already off the court, just from working out with Drew and having the same agent. So this was kind of a no-brainer for me, just to be able to play with that fast-paced team and get them back to the promised land."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle had Indiana in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers lost 103-91 at Oklahoma City after Tyrese Haliburton went down with a torn right Achilles tendon in the first quarter, and they finished 19-63 last season with him sidelined.

Oubre agreed to terms July 1 on a two-year, $17 million contract. The Pacers announced the signing July 8, and he will wear No. 10.

General manager Chad Buchanan said on the Setting The Pace podcast that Oubre's defense appealed to Indiana as much as his offense.

"Last year was probably the best shooting year of his career. We think there's more room from that regard for Kelly," Buchanan said. "I think he'll see more open shots created in our system than he's probably seen in his career. Optimistic that he'll be able to knock down shots for us, but also provide some presence as a defender, being able to guard multiple positions, which is important for us."

Oubre averaged 14.1 points and 5.0 rebounds last season on 46.7% shooting from the field. His 36.0% mark from 3-point range was a career best.

Before Philadelphia, Oubre played for the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and Charlotte Hornets. He has averaged double figures in each of his last nine seasons. Across 705 career games with five franchises, Oubre holds averages of 13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.

At Summer League in Las Vegas, an Indiana front office executive told Keith Smith of Spotrac that Oubre passed up "a lot of other offers" to sign. The executive said Oubre would be "awesome in the up-tempo offense we run with Tyrese (Haliburton) back."

Indiana used part of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception on the deal, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron, who projected the Pacers to be about $6.5 million over the luxury tax line afterward. Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports reported that Philadelphia could have offered the same contract but would have moved into tax territory.

The Pacers also added Larry Nance Jr. on a short-term deal this offseason. Andrew Nembhard started at point guard for most of last season, with T.J. McConnell behind him.

His job is to bring the best version of himself, and Carlisle decides the rest.

"First and foremost is to have a healthy regular season," Oubre explained. "Get through the regular season healthy. For me, it's learning the team, learning my new situation quickly so that it's not lingering throughout the year and I'm having to go through a lot of adversity, which is what I'm doing now in these days leading up to camp. And it's been going great."

Oubre missed the final month of the 2024-25 season with a right knee injury. Last season, he appeared in 50 of Philadelphia's 82 games.

Indiana has not played a postseason game since Game 7 in June 2025.

"But for me, obviously, it's sniffing the playoffs again," Oubre said. "I've been blessed enough to scratch and claw my way to the playoffs two years out of my three years in Philly, which was even an understatement for the team that we did have. But this team was just in the Finals two years ago. So first and foremost, getting them back to the playoffs, and then having that experience of being a playoff player with a playoff team, seeing where we can go from there."

"But it's gonna be a dogfight this year," Oubre continued. "I think the East is coming back pretty loaded. The West has been loaded for years. But if we sniff the playoffs, we kind of find our flow at the right time... the sky's beyond the limit for us."

The New York Knicks, the defending champions, swept the 76ers in the second round in May. They visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Nov. 13 for Indiana's first meeting with them this season, in NBA Cup group play.