INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue point guard and former Westfield High School star Braden Smith is off the list of prospects expected to take part in the Pacers‘ draft prospects workout on Friday according to a social media post by the Pacers.
Smith — a two-time All-American and the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists — was on the workout list for Friday when the Pacers initially publicized it Wednesday. However on Thursday, the Pacers announced that he and California forward Chris Bell are being replaced by Kansas’ Tre White and D.J. Armstrong of Maryland-Baltimore County. Indiana forward Sam Alexis, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell, Duke forward Maliq Brown and Louisville guard Isaac McKneely are the other scheduled participants.
Smith would have been the highest rated player to take part in a Pacers workout this cycle, listed as the No. 38 prospect for the draft by both ESPN and The Athletic. The Pacers do not currently hold a pick in the 2026 draft as they used their second-rounder in a trade in 2021 and their first-rounder in their February trade for center Ivica Zubac. The first-round pick was top-four protected so they could have kept it they had won one of the four selections determined by the lottery on May 10, but they did not have luck on their side.
White, a 6-foot-7 wing, averaged 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds for Kansas this season and shot 40.3% from 3-point range. He also played for Southern California, Louisville and Illinois. Armstrong, a 6-4 wing, averaged 13.3 points per game for UMBC this season.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Purdue basketball’s Braden Smith out of Pacers draft workout
