Source: Kendall Brown signs two-way contract with Indiana Pacers
A league source told AllPacers earlier today that the Indiana Pacers are signing Kendall Brown to a two-way contract.
The team announced the signing about 20 minutes later. Brown is now under contract for a second season with the blue and gold after being drafted by the team in 2022.
The Pacers traded a 2026 second-round draft pick and cash considerations to acquire Brown on draft night just over a year ago. They liked his potential and skill at the time, and the athletic forward spent his first season in the NBA on a two-way deal with Indiana.
He played in six games for the Pacers last year, all coming between November 23 and December 7. The forward averaged 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, including a three-point, five-rebound outing against the Golden State Warriors on December 5.
But just over a week later, his season changed when he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right tibia. That kept Brown out for weeks as he recovered, and because he was on a two-way deal, he played in the G League upon returning.
He looked healthy for a bit after getting back in the action and played in 10 games, including a 20-point outing against the South Bay Lakers on February 13. But he didn't play again during the season. He had surgery about two weeks later to address a stress fracture in that same right tibia, and his season ended. He averaged 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 16 G League outings.
Despite only appearing in 22 games across the G League and NBA in his first year, the Pacers still liked Brown's potential. "We still really feel good about Kendall Brown," President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said. "He had a bad injury... but we really like him."
Given that the team wanted him enough to trade away future assets on draft night, and that he played well when not injured, it makes sense why the Pacers wanted Brown back. Now, he's with the team for a second campaign.
Summer League, which ended just over one week ago, helped Brown's case. He was healthy and available for the blue and gold, so the team had a chance to evaluate his growth and conditioning before committing to a deal.
Brown took advantage. He averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while knocking down 46.9% of his shots during Summer League play. He led the team in total steals and total blocks while shooting 3/7 from deep. There were certainly some down moments with the ball, but Brown had a great Summer League in general.
Now, he's back with the Pacers for another year. He joins Isaiah Wong and Oscar Tshiebwe as Indiana's two-way contract recipients. Teams are now permitted to have three in the new collective bargaining agreement.
Players on two-way deals split time between the Pacers and their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. That gets them reps and a salary boost. Young players with strong physical traits but room to grow in other areas, like Brown, are perfect for two-way deals. Indiana has three more roster spots available to fill this offseason, though without any trades they will likely all be Exhibit 10 contracts.
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