Indiana Pacers lock down Malcolm Brogdon on an additional 2-year, $45 million contract extension; What does it mean for the team's immediate future?

The Indiana Pacers will enter the 2021-22 NBA season under the tutelage of head coach Rick Carlisle, who hopped the conference this summer by switching to the Pacers from the Dallas Mavericks. Carlisle returns to Indiana for a second stint after serving as head coach between 2003-2007.

Carlisle has inherited a strong core of players, led by versatile point guard Malcolm Brogdon. The playmaker averaged 21 points, five rebounds and five assists last season, and has established himself as an integral part of the Indiana Pacers.

According to ESPN's veteran NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Indiana Pacers and Malcolm Brogdon have agreed to an additional two-year, $45 million extension. This means that the Pacers have locked Brogdon on essentially an $89.3 million, four-year deal if his last extension is also taken into account.

The new extension also indicates that the Indiana Pacers will not be trading Brogdon this season. There were rumors of the franchise offering the point guard to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons' services, but the news of this extension has quashed those reports.

What does Malcolm Brogdon's extension mean for Indiana Pacers' immediate future?

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The Indiana Pacers have trust in Malcolm Brogdon as the team's leading initiator on offense, which explains the extension. Head coach Rick Carlisle is known as a point guard whisperer, and if he has given the green light on the Pacers signing Brogdon to an extension, it means that the franchise is serious about making deep playoff runs and even a title run, with Brogdon being the side's de facto point guard.

The Indiana Pacers have a great group of talented players, all of whom will only improve with time. They have a great, young backcourt in Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, which will be complemented by TJ Warren at small forward in all likelihood (once he is fully fit). For the two guard spots, Carlisle has Brogdon and Brooklyn Nets import Caris LeVert.

The Indiana Pacers fell short of expectations under Nate Bjorkgren last season, but it seems like it is going to be a different story this time around. Carlisle has tasted championship success, and the team he has under his command certainly possesses the potential to challenge for the ultimate prize, the Larry O'Brien trophy.