Braden Smith, Purdue's All-Time Assists Leader, Is Joining The Indiana Pacers

Braden Smith, the 5-foot-10 Purdue guard from Westfield, Indiana who broke Bobby Hurley's NCAA all-time assists record this past season and finished his career with 1,103 career assists, is heading to the Indiana Pacers.

The Chicago Bulls selected Smith with the No. 38 pick in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday night and immediately traded his rights to Indiana in exchange for Kam Jones, two future second-round pick swaps and cash.

Smith won Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2022 at Westfield High School and spent four years at Purdue becoming one of the program's greatest players.

He was a two-time All-American, two-time Big Ten regular season champion, Big Ten Tournament MVP in 2026 and Big Ten Player of the Year as a junior.

He averaged 14.3 points and 8.8 assists per game as a senior, shooting 37.6 percent from three.

He is 5-foot-10 and 166 pounds, the smallest and lightest player invited to the NBA Draft Combine, with a 6-foot-3 wingspan and a basketball IQ that had NFL scouts comfortable with the size despite the measurements.

He has agreed to sign a two-way contract with Indiana, which means he will split time between the Pacers and the G League and will not count against the salary cap.

The comparison scouts and Pacers fans have settled on immediately, T.J. McConnell, the beloved undersized playmaker who has been in Indiana for years and whose contract runs through 2027-28. McConnell is 34. Smith is 22.

A hometown kid gets to learn from the player he was always going to be compared to, in the city where he was always going to play.