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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Kobe Brown #24 of the Indiana Pacers after a foul against the Sacramento Kings during the second half at Golden 1 Center on March 10, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Kelley L Cox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 Of the 15 Indiana Pacers players that ended the season on a standard contract, only one is guaranteed to be a free agent this offseason. Kobe Brown, who was traded to the team in February as a part of the Ivica Zubac deal<\/a> between the Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers, had his contract expire at the end of the 2025-26 season. He\u2019s looking for a new one with the negotiating window now open.<\/p>\n Brown was viewed as a throw in at the time of the trade. He never found his footing with the Clippers, typically operating as a deep reserve with few high-quality performances. He struggled to hit three-point shots in Los Angeles and wasn\u2019t asked to put the ball on the floor very often.<\/p>\n In Indiana, things were totally different. Granted, the Pacers were in the middle of a losing season, but Brown was given incomparably more playing time. In 27 games for the Pacers, he earned 668 minutes. With the Clippers, he never reached 400 total minutes in a season.<\/p>\n More chances should lead to more stats. And that was true for Brown, but it\u2019s also reductive. The Missouri product drilled 43.3% of his outside shots for the blue and gold and finished shots at the rim above his career average rate. His efficiency, even with a significantly larger opportunity, skyrocketed.<\/p>\n His per-minute numbers, which aren\u2019t tied to playing time, climbed. Most notable was his rebounding. Brown grabbed 7.1 rebounds per 36 minutes for the Pacers and 6.9 for the season \u2013 of all players with 500 minutes in 2025-26, only 33 of them<\/a> Brown\u2019s height or shorter grabbed that many boards, about one player per team.<\/p>\n \u201cI think being more aggressive. It looks like he\u2019s playing a lot without thinking out there on the floor,\u201d Clippers head coach Ty Lue said of what he\u2019s seeing from Brown after the trade. \u201cHe\u2019s a dynamic offensive rebounder, so we gotta make sure we\u2019re locked into him because he\u2019s crashing every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n What does that all mean for Kobe Brown and the Pacers going forward?<\/p>\n Now Brown, 26, is a free agent for the first time. His play with Los Angeles may not have been good enough to find another NBA home. But after a productive stint with the Pacers his stock is up.<\/p>\n What other teams, including the Pacers, will try to figure out is how real Brown\u2019s recent run of play actually was. He was a much better shooter, good rebounder, and stocky defender. Even as a depth piece, that\u2019s a valuable skill set.<\/p>\n INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 27: Kobe Brown #24 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 27, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n But he only did it for 27 games, a small sample. And there\u2019s a limitation on how much the Pacers can pay Brown. As laid out here<\/a>, because the Clippers declined the fourth-year team option on Brown\u2019s rookie-scale deal, the Pacers can only pay Brown up to $4.8 million in the coming season. Every other team can pay him more.<\/p>\n In practice, that shouldn\u2019t be an issue. The Pacers don\u2019t have the financial wiggle room to offer Brown (or any reserve) that high of a salary in 2026-27 without making other financially-focused moves. But that\u2019s just another note in a unique situation given Brown\u2019s ascent after being traded.<\/p>\n \u201cJust the style of play. The ball never stops moving\u2026 I just feel like it\u2019s hard not to fit in here. Everything\u2019s random, nothing\u2019s scripted,\u201d Brown said of the Pacers play style and how he fit in it.<\/p>\n Brown played well for the Pacers and popped in their system. If Indiana found that 27-game sample persuasive, bringing back the three-year pro would be a fine option. He still has room to grow, plays an important position, and wouldn\u2019t be particularly expensive.<\/p>\n But finances and roster spots are big factors. The Pacers, if they make no waivers and decline no options, will only have one open roster spot in the offseason. Should they want to make some needed upgrades<\/a> or add a cheaper rookie via a second-round draft pick<\/a>, they\u2019ll need to replace Brown\u2019s previously-held spot with another player \u2013 unless they trade away other talent.<\/p>\n