Braden Smith Heads Home to Join Pacers After Second-Round Selection

The former Purdue point guard arrives as a pace-oriented playmaker who will seek development time with the Pacers and their G League team to prove he can defend at the NBA level.

Overview

Braden Smith finished his four-year Purdue career as the NCAA’s all-time assists leader with 1,103 assists.
He was selected 38th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft and had his draft rights traded to the Indiana Pacers.
Reporting indicates Smith signed a two-way contract that would let him move between the Pacers and their G League affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, without going through waivers.
Smith has practiced with the Pacers, received visible gestures of support from teammates such as Tyrese Haliburton, and has sought defensive guidance from veteran guard T.J. McConnell.
He is set to make his first appearance in a Pacers uniform in NBA Summer League and will rely on Summer League and G League minutes to show he can translate his playmaking to the NBA despite size and defensive questions.