NBA Rumors: Oscar Tshiebwe, Pacers Agree to 2-Way Contract After 2023 NBA Draft

Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe will sign a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers after being passed over in the 2023 NBA draft, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported.

Tshiebwe was named the National Player of the Year after leading the country with 15.3 rebounds in 2021-22.

Last season, he averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game for the Wildcats and became considered a fringe second-round pick.

Because he entered the NBA draft, Tshiebwe was not eligible to return to college ball, Ben Roberts reported for Yahoo News.

Tshiebwe was honored with the Naismith Award as the men's college basketball player of the year in 2022. He is the first winner in history to not be selected in the draft.

As in the case of Gonzaga center Drew Timme, another draft snub with a full college trophy case, NBA teams seem to be veering away from picking up big men in the draft. There are also concerns over Tshiebwe's six-foot-nine height, which could leave him outreached by the league's seven-footers.

There is still a path for Tshiebwe to make it to the big league, however.

The Pacers are permitted to have a pair of players on two-way contracts in addition to their regular 15-man roster. These players would play for Indiana's G-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, in addition to spending up to 50 games with the Pacers.

Last season, the Pacers had both former Baylor forward Kendall Brown and established G-League guard Gabe York on two-way contracts. Brown played in six games in December, while York made three appearances at the tail end of the season.

Whether Tshiebwe will get that shot at a roster spot depends on how he does during the summer and preseason.

There's always the chance that, if Tshiebwe does well enough, he could make it onto the regular roster to play behind big man Myles Turner. Los Angeles Lakers Austin Reaves managed that feat in 2021 when he was upgraded from a two-way deal to a standard contract after a highlight-studded Summer League season.