Braden Smith’s path to the Indiana Pacers suddenly looks a lot less certain.
What was supposed to be the cleanest kind of homecoming - the Pacers landing Purdue star and Indiana native Braden Smith with the 38th pick in this year’s NBA Draft - has turned into a waiting game. Indiana has Smith’s draft rights, but he still has not signed a contract, and the league’s official transaction tracker shows every other summer move the Pacers have made: new deals for Kelly Oubre, Larry Nance, Kobe Brown and Jalen Slawson. Smith is nowhere on it.
That gap mattered less a few days ago. Now it matters a lot.
On Friday, Colorado judge Charlotte N. Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction to college players from “the class of 2022,” opening the door for them to be eligible to play college sports this year. That group includes Smith, who already completed his fourth and final season of college basketball last season before moving on toward the pro game.
The NCAA had recently tried to draw a firmer line with its new “5 x 5” rule, which limits college athletes to five years after they finish high school or turn 19, whichever comes first. The idea was to cut down on the endless court fights over eligibility. No extended detours, no late-career return trips, no six- or seven-year college runs.
But the ruling changed the picture fast. The NCAA plans to appeal, though its recent track record in court has not been strong, and suddenly a large group of players is eligible to go back to college. For many of them, the choice is straightforward: leave the G League or overseas behind and head back into the transfer portal in search of NIL money.
Smith’s case is different.
He has a choice that would have sounded impossible before Friday: he could go back to college instead of starting his NBA career. That option is especially striking because he was already drafted by the Pacers, and players in that situation have already shown the NCAA can’t really stop them if they were swept into the draft after their eligibility ran out.
Would Smith actually do it? Purdue would almost certainly be the only place that makes sense if he returns. And if the Boilermakers wanted him back, there would likely be money available - possibly two or three times what he could make by starting out with Indiana.
For the Pacers, that creates a strange kind of flexibility. They would still control his rights, which means they could revisit the situation in a year. Smith would be older and maybe even better in some areas, and Indiana would not have to use a roster spot on a rookie second-round pick right away.
For now, though, the decision is Smith’s, and nobody has reported what he plans to do. What once looked like a straightforward NBA arrival has turned into something far messier. As of Friday, the idea of Braden Smith back at Purdue is no longer fantasy - it’s on the table.
In Other News...
Pacers Face A Painful Andrew Nembhard Decision This Summer
Andrew Nembhard has become one of those players every contender hates to think about losing, the kind of steady, valuable guard who tends to matter more than his box score. For Indiana, though, this summer may be less about appreciation than arithmetic. The Pacers are trying to balance a roster that still has room to grow with a financial picture that is getting crowded fast, and Nembhard sits right in the middle of that squeeze.
Multiple extensions are coming due, and the choices the front office makes on one player could ripple into the next decision. Indiana also has to weigh the cost of keeping its core intact against the need to preserve flexibility, which is why a player as useful as Nembhard is suddenly part of a much bigger conversation than just on-court fit. Even with his importance clear, the Pacers may not be able to keep every piece they want. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Rookie Braden Smith Just Made His NBA Future Clear
Braden Smiths path to the Pacers was already unusual enough before the latest wrinkle. Indiana took the rookie point guard with the No. 38 pick after acquiring that selection from the Chicago Bulls, and he arrived with a college resume that made him one of the more intriguing backcourt bets in the class after setting the NCAA Division I assists record at Purdue.
Now Smith has made his direction clear. Even with an injunction opening the door to a fifth year of eligibility for the Class of 2022, he is leaning fully into his NBA future and keeping his attention on earning his place in Indiana. For the Pacers, that removes one lingering question about a young guard whose passing ability has long been his calling card, and it lets the team move forward with a better sense of where his focus is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Took A Chance On Braden Smith As A Bigger Question Looms
A recent court ruling is changing the college basketball landscape again, extending eligibility from four years to five and opening another lane for players who want to stay in school longer. Braden Smith, who led the NCAA in assists, decided not to take that route. Instead, he chose to move on to a professional career with the Pacers, a decision that says plenty about how Indianapolis is weighing talent in a moment when the rules around player development keep shifting.
For the Pacers, Smith is part of a larger question about what the next draft classes might look like if more players decide to cash in on an extra college season. The evolving system could alter when elite guards enter the NBA, and it may change which prospects are available when teams like Indiana are on the clock. Smith made his choice. The bigger uncertainty is how many others will follow the same path, and what that means for the leagues talent pool. [Read more 🡒]