Pacers GM Chad Buchanan Explains Why Indiana Drafted Braden Smith, Discusses Free Agency Plans

Thursday afternoon, Pacers General Manager, Chad Buchanan, spoke to the media at the Ascension St. Vincent Practice facility about their recent addition to the team, Braden Smith.

Smith grew up in Westfield, Indiana, the same city as Buchanan. Speculation from the fan base is that the Pacers only drafted Smith because Buchanan has a relationship with him, but that is not the truth.

Buchanan made it clear that he has relationships with several different players and that every decision is made by their team of front office members and scouts, and not directly because of one person or preexisting relationships:

“This is a group decision and our job is to bring in players that can help our culture (and) help our team. It's not where they're from or who knows them.”

And to be fair, anyone thinking that the Pacers only drafted Smith because he’ll sell jerseys and draw more fans to the Noblesville Boom arena because he’s from here and played four seasons at Purdue, you’re not being fair to Smith and the work that he’s put in to deserve this opportunity.

Buchanan: “The fact that he’s a local player, a Purdue player, it’s a story, but that’s not the reason we drafted Braden Smith. We believe in him as a player.

Learning from T.J. McConnell

Mar 29, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) celebrates a made basket in the first half against the Miami Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Buchanan shared that Smith and McConnell had an existing relationship prior to being drafted and thinks that he can be a great mentor for him.

When people saw that the Pacers had acquired Smith from Chicago, they instantly said that Smith could be the new McConnell for this Pacers team. Both play extremely different styles, but there are some key things that Smith can learn from him, according to Buchanan:

"T.J. he plays with great energy, great fight. He doesn't back down. He's fearless, and Braden exhibits a lot of those same qualities. And, you know, being real, it's a challenge. I mean, you're small, you have to separate yourself from other players, and Braden’s been able to do that at every level.”

Andrew Nembhard Comparison

One thing that stood out to me in Buchanan’s press conference was the evaluation process of Smith at the pre-draft camp.

“As we watched him there (at the pre-draft camp) for a couple games, is when the ball's in his hands, your team usually gets a good shot,” Buchanan continued, “When we watched Andrew Nembhard at the (NBA Draft) Combine, a lot of the same things were happening when Andrew had the ball as what we saw with Braden with the ball. His team was organized. He got a good look for everybody, for every guy around him. He makes the game easier for other players.”

This is high praise from the general manager, but it is not a direct comparison. This insight allows you to understand their thought process when evaluating talent. Both Nembhard and Smith are strong lead ball handlers who have drastically different styles of play. However, they have one thing in common, the ability to run an offense and set others up.

Plans for Free Agency?

Mar 23, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) grabs the rebound during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Once again Buchanan made it clear that he likes the core of this group.

Well, who is the core of this group? Buchanan highlighted that their starting five of Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam and Zubac are a part of it, and that McConnell and Toppin round out that seven, because of their playoff experience.

When asked if Sheppard and Walker were apart of that core, Buchanan responded with this:

“Ben and Jarace have been key parts of a team that made it to the Finals, so we’ve seen them contribute at that level. They’re still young players, they’re still developing, and still growing. We’re evaluating their growth, but optimistic about both. We believe in both of those guys and want to continue to see their growth and make sure that fits in with us moving forward.”

Mar 23, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) grabs the rebound during the first quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The transparency from Buchanan highlights that while Sheppard and Walker might not be in with the “core seven” that Kevin Pritchard refers to for this team, they’re still valued by the organization. However, he didn’t commit to retaining both players, leaving the question asked without a clear answer.

You can read between the lines what was said and make your own opinion on it, but for me, Buchanan’s unwillingness to include them into the core means that the front office views them slightly different than the starters with T.J. and Obi.

Expectations for a Big Move

Jan 16, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff (32) dribbles the ball while New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

While there have been several jaw-dropping trades the last handful of days, here is what Buchanan had to say about the Pacers aggressiveness in the offseason:

“We’re going to be very selective on what we do. If you're expecting an earthshattering, groundbreaking move, I'm not going to say that's going to happen, but we're always going to be opportunistic if the right deal comes along and a trade or if a free agency process plays out and we have a player we like, we're going to pounce on that opportunity.”

It sounded like Buchanan was about to say that the Pacers are not going to make a big move, but then pulled back on his comments just slightly to leave a window of that happening open. Anything can happen, but Pacers fans should continue to expect smaller moves to fill out the edges around this core.

“I think our priority is to add depth to this team. We like our core, we like our starting five. We like some pieces off our bench, but I think the reason we had successful playoff runs was because of the depth of the team and we feel like we want to get back to that depth that we had on those runs.”

Addressing Specific Positions

Feb 3, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Johnny Furphy (12) in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Buchanan was asked about what areas they want to improve off the bench and he did not hold back with what he sees as a weakness for this team as currently constructed:

“The wing position would probably be one; If we can add some wing depth, that would help. We’ll see where we’re at with the center spot. Those would probably be the two positions if we had to prioritize things.”

Buchanan was later asked about the center depth, and specifically Micah Potter. Here was his response:

“Well, his contract's non-guaranteed so anticipate us looking at the center position. Do we have enough there? We’ve Jay under contract, Zu (as well), I think it's a position we'll continue to evaluate in these coming weeks.”

Buchanan continued, “Micah did some great things for us. Obviously, his shooting was exceptional for a center. And Jay brings some elements too that we value, but it is a position we’ll continue to look at here in the coming weeks and into the season.”

Final Thoughts

Braden Smith was brought in because the Pacers believed they needed to add true point guard depth, and they asked certain players to do that last season who weren’t really qualified as backup point guards.

It will be a learning experience for Smith, but he’s a natural point guard who thrives with the ball in his hands. Buchanan had more to say on Smith that I left out, but it’s clear that there are going to be hurdles for Smith to get over if he wants to have success in this league.

Free agency will most likely be quieter for the Pacers, but they’re going to do something. I anticipate them bringing in a wing off the bench to help them get more experience in that area and for them to add another center to the roster to compete at training camp with Huff and Potter, unless Potter is let go for financial reasons.

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