The Pacers’ core is quickly becoming expensive, as Andrew Nembhard, who is expected to earn $2 million next year, will be eligible for an extension soon. The Indiana Pacers have built a solid core that will keep them in the Eastern Conference playoff picture for the foreseeable future. This offseason, however, the Pacers will have a few serious things to deal with. The good news is that Tyrese Haliburton has signed a five-year contract extension, but the Pacers still have Pascal Siakam’s free agency to deal with, as well as Andrew Nembhard’s approaching contract problem.
Nembhard, who performed admirably for the Pacers during their run to the Eastern Conference Finals, is due to earn only $2 million next season, potentially the final year of his contract. While the Pacers will want to keep Nembhard for the foreseeable future, it may be impossible to do so this offseason. Indiana will be limited in what they can offer Nembhard, with the best offer being a four-year, $75 million extension, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
An average of $18.75 million from 2025-26 to 2028-29 is a reasonable contract for Andrew Nembhard to sign. After all, Nembhard averaged only 9.2 points and 4.1 assists.
Throughout the 2023-24 regular season. However, Stein stated that other clubs believe Nembhard might be a lead guard elsewhere based on his success in the 2024 NBA playoffs, implying that a larger contract could someday be on the table for the 24-year-old guard. Nonetheless, the Pacers should maintain control of Nembhard’s stay in town.
If Nembhard rejects contract extension offers this offseason, the Pacers may choose to decline his $2 million team option for the 2025-26 season and issue him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agency. This would give Indiana the ability to match any offer sheet for the combo guard.
Thus, there is no reason for Pacers fans to fret even though the team’s core is becoming expensive really quickly. Obi Toppin is set to enter free agency as well, joining Siakam, while Myles Turner, TJ McConnell, and Bennedict Mathurin, among others, will be up for contract extensions soon. Andrew Nembhard breaks out during the Pacers’ impressive 2024 playoff run Andrew Nembhard’s role has fluctuated throughout his first two seasons in the association. Nembhard has started 110 of 143 games in his first two years in the league, and he has averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 assists during that span — good numbers, especially for someone taken in the second round. But that kind of production didn’t exactly suggest that he was going to be a long-term piece for the Pacers to hang onto alongside Tyrese Haliburton. However, Nembhard played well under the bright lights of the playoffs. He scored in double figures in 14 of the 17 playoff games he suited up in, and he also took on the responsibility of guarding the likes of Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson, and even Jayson Tatum at times.
Even in one of the games he finished with single digits in scoring, he still managed to make a major dent on the game. In the dying moments of Game 3 of the Pacers’ second-round matchup against the New York Knicks, Nembhard, despite shooting 1-7 from the field for three points to that point, was very ballsy. He took a stepback three-pointer near the hash line over the outstretched arms of Brunson to give the Pacers a three-point lead, preventing them from going down 3-0 in the series.
And then when Haliburton went down in the Eastern Conference Finals with a hamstring injury, Nembhard assumed lead guard duties, and the Pacers’ offense barely skipped a beat. He scored 32 and 24 points, respectively, in Games 3 and 4 to lead the Pacers in a spirited attempt to extend the series despite missing the team’s best player. In the end, he averaged 14.9 points and 5.5 assists in the playoffs while shooting a scorching hot 56 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from deep.
It’s not difficult to picture Andrew Nembhard excelling even more on a team where he could be the primary ballhandler. However, Nembhard has demonstrated the ability to play off of Haliburton and thrive when he is not in the game, making him even more valuable to the Pacers owing to his role versatility.
Tyrese Haliburton has suffered hamstring injuries for the past two years in a row. Having a high-quality insurance choice in Nembhard is invaluable. And because the Pacers play at such a fast pace, having quick guards who can run a track meet is essential, which only adds to the 24-year-old guard’s value to the club.
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