Eight Indiana players are extension-eligible, but Chad Buchanan declined twice to reveal where talks stand ahead of a key Oct. 19 deadline.
Chad Buchanan will not discuss contract extensions in public, even with a long list of Indiana Pacers eligible for one. The general manager was asked about them twice Thursday at the Pacers Foundation golf outing and declined both times.
Spotrac lists eight Pacers as extension-eligible this offseason. Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard are eligible for rookie scale extensions. Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, and Johnny Furphy are eligible for veteran extensions.
Buchanan Keeps Extension Talks Private
Buchanan said a lot of the roster is in that position.
"I'd like to keep the business part of it out of respect to the player and the agent," Buchanan said. "But we do have a lot of guys that are in that boat. But we'll kind of keep that to ourselves on that one."
Walker and Sheppard, both first-round picks in 2023, have until Oct. 19 to agree on rookie scale extensions. Neither has one yet. Without a deal, each would become a restricted free agent in July 2027.
Walker is playing on an $8,478,542 team option the Pacers picked up last October. He was the No. 8 pick in 2023, selected by Washington and dealt to Indiana. His 11.6 points per game last season were a career high.
Sheppard, the 26th pick in 2023 out of Belmont, is due $5,031,669 in the final year of his rookie deal. He shot 36.8% from 3-point range last season.
Several Pacers Stars Are Extension-Eligible
Haliburton and Siakam became eligible July 6. Siakam could sign an extension worth up to $207 million. His 24.0 points per game were Indiana's best last season, and Nembhard's 7.7 assists per game also led the team.
Buchanan said the Pacers value everyone on the roster.
"I just prefer not to talk about the business part out of respect to the guys and their agents, but we value all of our guys," Buchanan explained. "They're here for a reason, we like them, but I'd like to keep those kind of confidential for now."
Zubac is under contract through 2027-28. He came from the LA Clippers in February and played five games for Indiana before a fractured rib ended his season.
Pacers Face Tight Salary-Cap Situation
Kelly Oubre Jr.'s two-year deal in July came out of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That left Indiana hard-capped at the first apron for all of 2026-27, about $2.2 million under the line with 14 guaranteed standard contracts on the books.
On Aug. 31, Tony East of Forbes reported that the payroll as it stands would make the Pacers a taxpaying team.
That cap position is also why James Johnson is in camp on an Exhibit 9 deal. Buchanan said the Pacers cannot keep him to start the season.
Haliburton signed his five-year max extension in July 2023.
Nembhard and Toppin are also under contract for 2026-27. Furphy has a guaranteed $2.3 million salary this season and a $2.5 million team option for 2027-28.
Media day is Monday. The Pacers open Oct. 21 at New Orleans, two days after the rookie scale deadline.
