NBA Rumors: KD wants roster input, Harden security check, Carlisle extended
- Pacers extend head coach Rick Carlisle
- James Harden tried to board 76ers' team plane for Milwaukee, but was denied
- Kevin Durant wants his voice heard on Suns personnel decisions
NBA Rumors: Pacers extend head coach Rick Carlisle
Rick Carlisle, who joined the Indiana Pacers on a four-year contract in 2021, is signing an extension after three seasons with the franchise. The exact length and value of Carlisle's new contract remain undisclosed, but one has to imagine the former Coach of the Year and 2011 champion has earned a healthy raise.
Indiana started the season 1-0 on Wednesday with a 143-120 smackdown of the Washington Wizards. That left Carlisle with 897 career wins, three shy of the historic 900 milestone. He appears to have the full confidence of the Pacers' front office as the team navigates a rebuild and attempts to take the next step toward contention.
ESPN Sources: Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has agreed on a multi-year contract extension. Carlisle — who’s nearing his 900th NBA victory — returned to the Pacers as head coach in 2021 and now will continue to lead franchise’s rebuild on a new deal. pic.twitter.com/atXuQ7T9SD
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 26, 2023
Carlisle has been outperforming the majority of his peers for over two decades. He won Coach of the Year in 2002 with the Detroit Pistons — his first year at the front of the bench. After two years in Detroit, he spent time with the Pacers and Mavericks, where he won a title, before transitioning back to Indiana in 2021.
Tyrese Haliburton's star ascent, combined with the arrival of Bruce Brown and looming improvement for Bennedict Mathurin, has dramatically reshaped the Pacers' outlook in the Eastern Conference. With a wide-open path to the play-in tournament, and maybe even beyond, Carlisle could be in the running for another Coach of the Year award by season's end. The Pacers are a strong candidate to win more games than expected in 2023-24.