Over the summer, the Indiana Pacers signed guard Andrew Nembhard to a three-year, $58.6 million contract extension. This deal was a no-brainer for the Pacers as Nembhard was fresh off a breakout performance in the playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Immediately after the contract extension was announced, reports surfaced that suggested Nembhard was coveted around the NBA. More specifically, according to insider Jake Fischer, the San Antonio Spurs had interest in Nembhard and were named a "team to monitor" in the future. Less than five months after Nembhard's contract extension, new reports regarding his potential trade availability have come to light.
Jake Fischer names Andrew Nembhard as a potential trade candidate
In a recent for The Stein Line (subscription required), Fischer suggested that the Pacers could realistically move on from Nembhard to give them more financial flexibility.
"That goes triple for Indiana's Andrew Nembhard, who's earning $2.019 million this season before his three-year contract extension worth nearly $60 million kicks in," Fischer wrote.
The Pacers potentially trading the Canadian native is not a new idea. Indiana has plenty of talent in the backcourt and moving Nembhard to open some more opportunities for a player like Bennedict Mathurin could make sense given the right deal. However, Fischer also clarified that there is no "trade chatter" regarding the Pacers guard as it currently stands.
"To be clear once again: No one is suggesting that there is any tangible Nembhard trade chatter circulating at the moment. Yet one salary cap expert consulted brought up Nembhard himself and told me he'd price the ability for a second-apron team to be able to acquire a contract like his — knowing they'd also land a quality player commanding less than $20 million in average annual value starting next season — at a minimum of one future first-round pick … without even factoring in how strongly Nembhard performed for the Pacers in last spring's playoffs."
So far this season, Nembhard has had a but if a down year. The 24-year-old already missed nearly a month of action due to a knee injury. Furthermore, even in the games he has played, Nembhard has struggled.
Through nine games, Nembhard is averaging 7.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1 steal. Additionally, he is shooting 39.7% from the field and 26.3% from the three-point line. Nembhard has yet to score 15 points in a game and has only reached double-digits in scoring four times.
With Nembhard having time off, it is fair to assume he should be able to turn things around this season. However, his current performance is far from inspiring. Trading him to a contending team, especially if the Pacers cannot right the ship this season, could make sense for both sides.
There is some risk involved with potentially trading Nembhard, with the most obvious factor being that he is still young and has room to grow.
Nembhard is a great backcourt partner next to Tyrese Haliburton, and the two complement each other well. However, we saw what Nembhard was capable of doing without Haliburton in the lineup in Games 3 and 4 against the Celtics in the conference finals, and that is the reason other teams around the league are keeping their eyes on him.
There is no reason to believe a trade involving Nembhard is a possibility this season, but it is still an interesting story to follow. If the Pacers struggle the rest of the way, they may find themselves active in the trade market with Nembhard as their most intriguing asset.