The Pacers and rookie guard Andrew Nembhard have agreed to a four-year, $8.6 million contract, agents Jaafar Choufani and Todd Ramasar told Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Nembhard, 22, is 6-foot-5 and was the first pick of the second round (No. 31 overall) out of Gonzaga. He is guaranteed $6.4 million — the most for a second-rounder in history, Givony noted.
Nembhard is originally from Canada, then played his two college seasons at Florida, before transferring to Gonzaga. He started all 32 games last season, averaging 11.8 points and 5.8 assists, playing primarily the point guard position.
He was then solid for Indiana at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 6.6 points and 5.0 assists in five games.
“The word that stands out for me is feel — (Nembhard) has just got an amazing feel for the game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, via James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. “I love point guards. I’ve had the real privilege of working with some great, great point guards. I mean, Jason Kidd, we won a championship (in Dallas) with Jason Kidd, we had J.J. Barea on that team. Jason Terry was a point guard that converted to a scoring guard. I see some of all those qualities in Andrew. Love his size, love playmakers that can control the game, not only with their skill but with their mind.”
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