Chad Buchanan Reportedly Will Be Named Pacers General Manager

The Indiana Pacers are planning to hire Charlotte Hornets executive Chad Buchanan as their next general manager. 

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported the news.

Buchanan will serve under president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, who will maintain final say on personnel matters. The organizational structure will be similar to when Pritchard was general manager under Larry Bird, who resigned after the 2016-17 season.

The Pacers' search has been zeroed in on Buchanan almost the entire time. Marc Stein of ESPN reported team reached out for permission to interview Buchanan in May. No other candidates appeared to get much consideration. It's likely the Pacers waited to make a formal hire until after the NBA draft, to avoid any upheaval in their or Charlotte's front office.

Buchanan spent the last two seasons as the assistant general manager under Rich Cho in Charlotte. He spent a the previous decade working his way up through the Portland Trail Blazers organization, including a stint as their interim general manager in 2012. The Blazers nearly removed the interim tag but chose to hire Neil Olshey instead.