Pacers Make Final Decision on Rookie Guard Braden Smith

The Indiana Pacers went into the 2026 NBA Draft without a draft pick, but came out of it with former Purdue star point guard Braden Smith. In the second round, the Pacers pulled off a trade with the Chicago Bulls to acquire Smith that sent out last year's second-round pick, Kam Jones.

Leading up to the draft, it was heavily reported that Indiana liked Smith. He has close connections to the Pacers' front office, especially general manager Chad Buchanan.

Smith was a star during his college career with the Boilermakers. He finished his career out being the NCAA Division I leader in assists.

Throughout his four-year career at Purdue, Smith put together averages of 13 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. He also chipped in with 1.7 steals per contest and shot 43.6 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range.

On Monday afternoon, Indiana made a final decision regarding Smith's future with the team. The Pacers officially signed him to a two-way contract.

Tony East of Forbes was the first to report the move.

"The Pacers have officially signed draft pick Braden Smith to a two-way contract," East reported on X.

Heading into NBA Summer League action, there was a battle between multiple players for the three two-way contracts for Indiana. Jalen Slawson, Kobe Brown, and Smith were the front-runners to land the jobs. At the end of the day, both Taelon Peter and Ethan Thompson were waived to make room for Smith.

With the Pacers now having Smith under contract, he will spend time between both the NBA program and the Noblesville Boom in the G-League.

Indiana likely has its opening night roster set with the Smith signing. The Pacers are looking to get back on track where they left off two years ago in the NBA Finals. With Tyrese Haliburton returning for the season opener from a torn Achilles, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the team.

As for Smith, there likely won't be much playing time at the NBA level for him. Indiana has Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Quenton Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart. He could see some minutes here and there, but a consistent role is incredibly unlikely barring severe injury issues.

All of that being said, Smith is under contract and will have a chance to stick with the team and develop. The Pacers are excited about his future and believe he has a chance to become a rotation player down the road.