Dec 23, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) and guard Andrew Nembhard (2) in the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Pacers Star Seeking Massive Raise in Contract Extension Talks: Report

Originally posted on Indianapolis Pacers on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 6:12 PM ET

An Indiana Pacers star wing is hoping for a huge payday on his next contract.

With two-time All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton on the shelf for all of 2025-26 this season with an Achilles tendon tear, this young standout will be even more important to the team's success, so it may behoove Indiana to keep him happy.

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Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, sixth man shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin — a player who head coach Rick Carlisle suggested will earning the starting nod in the wake of Haliburton's injury, with former starting two-guard shifting down a spot to the starting point guard role — is angling for a contract extension since becoming eligible at the start of free agency this summer.

According to Fischer, Mathurin is hoping to be paid somewhere in the terrain of $20–30 million a year. That sum is in line with the amount this year's crop of top restricted free agents — Golden State Warriors power forward Jonathan Kuminga, Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey, Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Cam Thomas, and Philadelphia 76ers combo guard Quentin Grimes — are all seeking.

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Is Mathurin worth that much, especially for a stingy Pacers squad that needs to do a lot of long-term planning for Haliburton's eventual return?

The 23-year-old Mathurin, whom Indiana selected with the sixth overall pick out of Arizona in the 2022 NBA Draft, is a great change-of-pace scorer off the bench. He's not the defender that Nembhard or Aaron Nesmith are, which ultimately led to his becoming a bench player by the middle of the 2024-25 season. Still Mathurin produced as a reserve, averaging 16.1 points on .458/.340/.831 shooting splits, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.7 steals in just 29.8 minutes per.

Mathurin, ultimately, could be replaced by a Jordan Clarkson type in free agency for far less, so the Pacers will need to decide if he has room to evolve. The biggest long-term issue is at another position entirely.

Former starting center Myles Turner surprisingly abandoned Indiana as free agent this past summer, agreeing to a four-season, $108.9 million deal with the Pacers' Central Division nemeses the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Pacers appear to be looking to replace him piecemeal, at least for the start of 2025-26, with returning backups Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, plus floor-spacing trade acquisition Jay Huff. Jackson might have the inside track on the gig, but even so, he'd feel like something of a short-term solution.