Report: Pacers Hire Rick Carlisle as Head Coach

The Pacers have hired Rick Carlisle as their next head coach, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. 

Carlisle's deal will be for four years and $29 million, per MacMahon.

Carlisle joins Indiana one week after parting ways with the Mavericks. He led Dallas to the playoffs nine times in 13 years, including a championship run in 2011. The Mavs' '20–21 season ended in a first-round loss to the Clippers. 

"After a number of in-person conversations with Mark Cuban over the last week, today I informed him that I will not be returning as head coach," Carlisle said in a statement upon leaving Dallas. "This was solely my decision."

"Dallas will always be home, but I am excited about the next chapter of my coaching career." 

Next season will kick off Carlisle's second stint with the Pacers. He coached Indiana from 2003–07, reaching the postseason four times. The Pacers won 61 games with Carlisle in '03–04, but Indiana's roster was decimated the following season due to the Malice at the Palace. 

Carlisle, 61, has 836 career wins, the third-most among active coaches. He will look to bring Indiana back to the playoffs next season after the Pacers finished 34–38 in 2020–21.