Indiana Pacers guard Braden Smith dribbles upcourt against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first half of an NBA Summer League basketball game Friday, July 10, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
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LAS VEGAS – Braden Smith officially signed his two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers earlier this month. That was the original plan for the 38th overall pick in the most recent NBA Draft, but the Pacers had to figure out some other transactions first.
There was a lot of waiting involved. Smith and the Pacers wrapped up summer league play on July 18, meaning Smith stood by for one day shy of a full month before inking his first NBA contract. The Pacers financial reality was to blame. So the first-year guard had to wait around and trust that his new team would figure out a way to get him in the door.
“Through the whole process, I knew it was going to end up like what they already said, so I already had that idea,” Smith said of his trust in the Pacers during the patient days. “Plus, it’s a contract, and it doesn’t really need to be signed until what, November-ish? So for me, I was just like, stay with it, get in [the gym], get better. That’s the main focus.”
The Pacers traded away two second-round pick swaps and young guard Kam Jones to acquire the draft pick that they later used on Smith. They were one of a few teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, that had interest in selecting the Purdue product, but none of the three teams had a good enough draft pick to get him. They needed to make a trade.
Indiana got it done, agreeing to terms with the Chicago Bulls on draft night before selecting Smith. The Indiana native and Purdue standout is the all-time NCAA assist leader.
“It’s awesome,” Smith said of officially signing with the Pacers. “Being from here and watching them my entire life growing up, and also being a fan of everybody and now being a part of it and getting to experience that, it’s an awesome opportunity.”
By inking a two-way deal, Smith will split his time between the Pacers and their G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom. Noblesville is, as Smith described it, literally his backyard after growing up in Westfield, Indiana. It’s his dream to be able to play close to home, and he was looking forward to doing so on whatever contract he ended up signing.
What is next for Braden Smith after signing his Pacers contract?
While Smith is eager to get on the court now that his contract is signed, he knows that his performance must be better. During summer league, Smith struggled and knocked down just 26.5% of his shot attempts. His passing was sharp, but he didn’t impact the game with any play finishing or defense.
“[I’ve] got to be better,” Smith said. “I think I’m my hardest critic about it, so I think being able to digest it, understand it, see what went wrong, see what went well, what I can learn, those types of things. And I had a lot of good feedback.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 14: Braden Smith #3 of the Indiana Pacers poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at UNLV on July 14, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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Some of that feedback came from general manager Chad Buchanan, who shared some of that conversation on the Setting The Pace podcast last month. Buchanan explained that point guard is the hardest position to learn for young NBA players, and especially smaller ones. For Smith, that came on top of learning a new system.
“I went over with Braden, we went through rookies summer league stats for a lot of players that are now playing very well in the NBA from T.J. McConnell to Jalen Brunson to Jose Alvarado,” Buchanan said. “There’s these smaller guards that went into Summer League as a rookie and really struggled. And that’s just part of learning the NBA game and adapting to it.”
Smith struggled with physicality on defense during his five outings in Las Vegas. He rarely made it deep enough on drives to generate a high-quality shot. His passing was crisp and encouraging, but he will have to improve on the less glamorous end of the floor during his rookie campaign. Using the three players Buchahan mentioned as a blueprint, one is Brunson – he is among the league’s best offensive guards. If Smith can’t reach that height, then the Alvarado and McConnell comparisons are more apt, and both of those two players are combative and successful defensive players.
Smith’s final stats from summer league were 6.8 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Pacers went 2-3. The first-year pro had a 16-point game against the Philadelphia 76ers and dished out nine assists twice.
One positive thing that stood out about Smith’s performance in person was that he improved from quarter to quarter. His teammates felt as if he was a better player in the second half of games compared to the first, something two-way wing Jalen Slawson explained after the team’s second game.
“Absolutely. That kid gets better and better every day,” Slawson said. “He’s worked his tail off… It’s hard. He comes in, undersized guard. He plays his tail off every single day.”
Added summer league coach Bryce Taylor: “It’s an adjustment for him. First time playing in a while, first time playing in this environment. I was really happy with the way he settled into his game.”
Smith believes he has an ability to adapt on the fly, and once he feels out a game he can get going. That is noteworthy in a Pacers system defined by tempo and randomness. Feel is very important. Adjusting to certain coverages or challenges is a must.
Even in a rough stretch of games, Smith showed an ability to do that. It will serve him well in Indiana. “I think it’s more mental than anything,” Smith said of that skill. “At the same time, it’s also getting a feel.”
Nobody was more upset with Smith’s performances than he was, another showing of his mentality that will serve him well. But that mental strength needs to lead to basketball improvement and better starts to games. The young guard improved from opening tip to final buzzer. Now officially a pro, he has to do that from game to game, week to week, and month to month.
The Pacers drafted Smith because they believe he can do it. And now armed with a two-way contract, he will get plenty of chances to improve during his first NBA season.
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