One of the Indiana Pacers’ goals this season is to extend Andrew Nembhard’s contract to keep him in Indiana longer. Nembhard is currently under contract through next season, after which he has a team option that Indiana will almost certainly pick up to keep him in Indiana through at least 2026, but after that he will become an unrestricted free agent.
Indiana is trying to avoid this problem in the first place by signing Nembhard in the offseason to his maximum contract extension, which calls for about $78.5 million over four years. This would result in Nembhard’s salary increasing from $2 million to $17.5 million in the 2025-26 season. This is helped by the fact that Nembhard will sign with Life Sports Agency, the same agency that represents Pascal Siakam, who recently worked out his new deal to stay in Indiana.
However, this could be a bit difficult considering that other guards in his age group are getting contract extensions. Just recently, it was announced that Immanuel Quickley of the Toronto Raptors will sign a five-year, $175 million deal to stay in the north long-term.
Quickley came to Toronto as part of the trade that brought OG Anunoby to New York and is now expected to stay there for the foreseeable future on a contract that is expected to pay him over $30 million per year.
There is a chance this could impact the contract extension market for young guards, which Nembhard is a part of. Given the amount he could earn as a free agent, Nembhard could look to forego a contract extension and try his luck on the open market in 2026, where his price could be higher than what Indiana can offer. We have seen a player’s value increase along with the market offers for other players, and Nembhard could be the same.
The Pacers’ best strategy is to aggressively extend Nembhard’s contract in the offseason and get the trouble over with before it really starts. Pacers GM Chad Buchanan has already stated that Nembhard’s development is a focus for next season, meaning he sees him as a key cog on this team going forward.
Indiana knows exactly what Andrew Nembhard can do on the court. After his breakout performances in the 2024 playoffs, capped off by a fantastic series against the Boston Celtics in which he shocked the world with his performance against one of the best-stacked teams of all time, Nembhard’s value in the league is high.
It would be in Indiana’s best interest to extend his contract before other teams get a chance at the impressive youngster.
