Andrew Nembhard inks largest deal for second round collegiate player in NBA history

The former Gonzaga transfer has $8.6 million coming his way over four years with $6.4 million guaranteed

Nembhard leaped up draft boards during the NBA Combine which helped him become the first player in taken in the 2022 NBA Draft's second round (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images)

Former Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Andrew Nembhard has signed the largest NBA deal of any second round player right out of college. On Wednesday, Nembhard inked a four-year, $8.6 million dollar deal with the Indiana Pacers who guarantee him $6.4 million over the first three years according to his agents Jaafar Choufani and Todd Ramafar, who told ESPN.

Nembhard was the 31st overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft and the first selection of the second round, falling right after UCLA’s Peyton Watson who was traded from Oklahoma City to the Denver Nuggets.

In Summer League action, which just wrapped up, Nembhard averaged 6.6 points and five assists with 2.8 turnovers in a guard role that was sometimes jumbled with Duane Washington and the Pacers’ first round pick Bennedict Mathurin also running the floor at points. In those five games, Nembhard also showcased his defensive skillset, managing .8 steals a game while often taking on one of the opposing team's leading scorers.

Nembhard climbed to an early second round pick on the back of solid combine performances leading up to the draft. He was originally a projected mid-to-late second round selection even after leading Gonzaga to a Final Four and Sweet 16 and being all-WCC first team and second team in back to back seasons.

Kennedy Chandler, the 38th overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in this year’s draft out of Tennessee, had just had the record for most guaranteed money for a second round pick. He signed his contract on July 6, which promises the young guard $4.94 million as part of his four-year, $7.1 million year deal. 

With Nembhard now locked into a deal, the Pacers have their 48th pick, Kendall Brown, left to sign. Indiana signed Mathurin on July 3 with a four-year deal that could earn the Arizona product up to $29.9 million over that span