Pacers Officially Sign Kelly Oubre Jr.

Last week, the Indiana Pacers came to an agreement with the eleven-year NBA veteran, Kelly Oubre Jr., who spent the last three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Pacers made the signing of Oubre Jr. official but there was no statement attached from Pacers President of Basketball Operations, Kevin Pritchard, and no details of the contract were released:

"The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday the team signed forward Kelly Oubre Jr. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Oubre will wear number 10 for the Pacers."

KOJ Graphic — Kelly Oubre Jr. Welcome Graphic | Pacers Social Media

Indiana was eager to add more wing depth after trading Bennedict Mathurin to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Ivica Zubac deal, with electing to not re-sign Kobe Brown in free agency, and with the ACL injury to the second-round pick out of Kansas, Johnny Furphy.

The original reporting on Oubre Jr.'s deal was two years in length for $17M total. However, David Aldridge, James Boyd, and John Hollinger of The Athletic, reported that a team source confirmed that the deal was actually for $16.5M, taking the total value of Oubre Jr.'s reported agreement down 500K. Tony East of Circle City Spin reported that the deal was fully guaranteed.

Jan 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) drives to the basket past Indiana Pacers guard Johnny Furphy (12) during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Indiana adding the 6-foot-8 wing -- who has a 7-foot-2.5 wingspan -- they bring in a true sixth man, who has spent time for several franchises as a starter. Expectations are for Oubre Jr. to play behind Nesmith and Nembhard, but will likely be the first substitute in the game.

The former Kansas Jayhawk averaged 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game last season. He shot a career best from the three-point line, connecting on 36% of his 5.5 attempts per game, and was a sensational 46.3% from the corner three last season. Overall he shot 46.7% from the field -- which is the second highest of his career -- and 76.6% from the free throw line.

His defense would best be labeled as inconsistent, but he has received praise from several analysts -- like Brian Windhorst of ESPN and host of The Hoop Collective Podcast -- for his improvement on that side of the ball. You will see him at his best when defending and one-on-one matchups, but he struggles with screen navigation, and defending players in the post.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

Add us as a preferred source on Google