Earlier this morning, the Indiana Pacers and guard Andrew Nembhard agreed to a three-year, $59 million deal extension. With this new contract, Nembhard will be with Indiana until the 2027-28 season. This contract extension is unsurprising given his excellent playoff performance last season.
However, it appears that the Pacers were not the only team interested in adding the Canadian native to their roster. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the San Antonio Spurs “registered trade interest in Nembhard this offseason.” Furthermore, Fischer identified the Spurs as a “team to monitor for Nembhard moving forward.”
“The Spurs will be one team to monitor for Nembhard moving forward, sources said, after San Antonio registered trade interest in Nembhard this offseason,” Fischer pointed out.
Earlier this offseason, the Spurs signed iconic point player Chris Paul, who had spent a season with the Golden State Warriors. However, the 39-year-old signed a one-year contract and will most likely become a free agent again next summer.
Furthermore, the Spurs selected point guard Stephon Castle with the fourth choice in the 2024 NBA Draft. Castle has a lot of potential and might be San Antonio’s point guard in the future. Regardless, it’s intriguing that Fischer would not rule out Nembhard joining the Spurs at some point.
Andrew Nembhard is regarded a lead guard by opponent teams.
During the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Nembhard made an impact and played some of his finest basketball of his career. Nembhard was already a reliable guard for the squad, but he played a key role in Indiana’s march to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 17 games, the 24-year-old averaged 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, shooting 56% from the field and 48.3% from beyond the arc. This includes several games with 20 or more points, notably his 32-point performance in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. Nembhard fired an outstanding 12-for-21 (57.1%) from the field in the defeat.
According to NBA expert Marc Stein (subscription required), Nembhard’s performance has earned him the title of “a lead guard” by “some rival teams.”
“After his outstanding performance in the playoffs, Nembhard is increasingly considered by some rival teams as a lead guard, meaning that he also might project as a player capable of generating a richer offer in down-the-road free agency than the Pacers can offer in an extension this summer,” Stein told ESPN.
Nembhard has had a successful two-year NBA career with the Pacers. And if the squad wants to compete for a championship as soon as possible, they must fully utilize Nembhard’s abilities.
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