Pacers, Andrew Nembhard agree to three-year extension

The new deal will begin in 2025-2026, replacing Nembhard’s team option for that season. According to Wojnarowski, it’ll be worth the maximum amount that the Pacers guard can receive on a three-year extension based on NBA rules (140 percent of this season’s $12.93M estimated average salary, with 8 percent annual raises).

Nembhard will earn a starting salary of approximately $18.1M in 2025-2026 and $58.65M across the three seasons. The 24-year-old is making a minimum salary of about $2.02M in the final year of his current contract in 2024-2025.

The 31st overall pick in the 2022 draft, Nembhard has started 110 of 143 games for the Pacers since entering the league, posting averages of 9.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per contest with a shooting line of .467/.353/.797.

While he typically starts alongside star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, the former Gonzaga standout also shares backup point guard duties with T.J. McConnell, taking on additional ball-handling responsibilities when he’s not on the floor with Haliburton.

As Wojnarowski points out, Nembhard was Indiana’s top performer when Haliburton was unavailable in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals this spring due to an injury. He averaged 28.0 PPG, 9.5 APG and 5.0 RPG on .564/.538/1.000 shooting in those two single-possession losses to the eventual champion Celtics.

Nembhard’s deal will be the third long-term contract handed out to a key rotation piece by the Pacers this offseason. Pascal Siakam received a four-year, maximum-salary deal, while Obi Toppin signed a four-year, $58M pact. Haliburton’s five-year max extension, signed in 2023, also takes effect this season.

Nembhard will be suiting up at the Olympics in Paris this summer, providing depth in a loaded Canadian backcourt headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray.