NBA Rumors: Rick Carlisle, Pacers Agree to Multi-Year Contract Extension

Rick Carlisle will remain head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the foreseeable future.

Carlisle and the Pacers have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday. The specific terms of the deal are unclear.

Carlisle, who is in his second stint as bench boss in Indiana, has served as head coach of the Pacers since the 2021-22 campaign. He compiled a 60-104 record over his first two seasons back with the franchise.

While the Pacers were nowhere close to .500 over the last two seasons, Indiana showed signs of progress during the 2022-23 campaign before injuries resulted in a drop in the standings.

The Pacers won 10 more games in 2022-23 (35-47) than they did in 2021-22 (25-57), and the team should only continue to progress this year.

The rebuilding Pacers got off to a strong start to the 2023-24 campaign on Wednesday night, defeating the Washington Wizards 143-120 behind a 24-point performance from veteran guard Bruce Brown Jr., who signed with the franchise as a free agent this summer.

With his extension, Carlisle will continue to oversee Indiana's rebuild and a roster that includes Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner. The progression of 2022 No. 6 overall pick Mathurin alongside veterans Haliburton and Turner will be huge in determining how far the team can go this season.

Carlisle began his coaching career as an assistant for the then-New Jersey Nets in 1989. He also served as an assistant for the Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers before getting his first head coaching job with the Detroit Pistons in 2001.

The 63-year-old served as head coach of the Pistons for two seasons before taking over as head coach of the Pacers in 2003 for his first stint in Indiana. In his first four seasons with the team from 2003-07, he went 181-147 and made the playoffs in three of four seasons, including a berth in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.

Carlisle is best known for his time as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks from 2008-21. He went 555-478 in his 13 seasons at the helm and most notably led the Mavs to the 2011 NBA title.

In 22 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Carlisle has compiled a 897-793 record. He's just three wins away from joining the 900-win club and will become just the 14th coach in history to reach the mark.