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Report: Pacers Targeting Guard in Second Round of NBA Draft
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- Report: Pacers Targeting Guard in Second Round of NBA Draft
(Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images)
Leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers were reportedly interested in trading into the early stage of the second round or the late stage of the first round.
With the first round having come and gone, the Pacers still haven't acquired a pick. However, it seems likely that Kevin Pritchard and the front office will continue working the phone lines throughout Wednesday before the second round.
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Keeping that in mind, Indiana seems to be targeting one specific player.
According to Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star, the Pacers would like to select Purdue standout point guard Braden Smith if they can acquire a second-round pick.
"The Pacers don't have the capital to trade into the top of the draft to get someone like A.J. Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson, but every team has the ability to trade into the second round," Doyel wrote . "It's not a matter of capital but a matter of will, a matter of desire. And if the Pacers get it done, if they get their guy – and they want Braden Smith – it'll also be a matter of family."
What does Doyel mean by the word "family" being included? He explained that word well.
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In a detailed reveal, Doyel shared that Smith is very close with Indiana general manager Chad Buchanan.
"Chad Buchanan was the first person – well, the first person who'd know – who told Braden Smith that he'd play in the NBA," Doyel wrote.
"They're intertwined, these families. The parents, the oldest boys, even their younger siblings. Maddox Smith and Laney Buchanan, are rising ninth-graders at Westfield and in the same friend group."
Smith had a workout with the Pacers during the pre-draft process. He spoke out about the potential of continuing to play in Indiana.
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"Being 30 minutes from home and being here, obviously I'm well connected to a lot of people here," Smith said. "So it kind of feels like a family."
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 college basketball season with the Boilermakers, Smith was a star. He averaged 14.3 points, 8.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 44 percent overall and 36.2 percent from the three-point line across 39 games.
Only time will tell if the Pacers can get a deal done to acquire a second-round pick. If they are able to accomplish that goal, it sure sounds like Smith would be their primary target.
