Believe Painter is using the Temple of Doom's Black Sleep of Kali Ma Potion to convince his roster to take far less NIL than they could get in the open market.
Guess with the Savage commitment, and no portal defections, Purdue's 15 scholly limit is all filled for '27.
Paying players 11-15 on the depth chart feels like a bit questionable strategy for a low end NIL school.
@middawg Savage and Hill are FF level players, or could be. Noticeably different level of guys than the normal Painter prized recruits throughout the years. Me no likey...
Eh, even when they had Glen Robinson they couldn't win a title. No worries. 
Not surprised though, with NIL. Players can put up with that campus, if the bag and bling is solid enough. And you only need a few if the development of the other guys is solid, and with Painter it is.
Heck, maybe if Purdue stays strong or stronger, it'll keep the fire lit under our butt. Fine with me. We can beat them when it counts.
@openwheel I LOVE Branham. Maybe getting him precluded going after Savage too? But man, as a mildly under the radar kid, Savage is going to be a big problem... to coin my own phrase I made about Braden Smith. I say mildly under the radar because he did have some decent offers. Just wasn't on any of the tradition big boys lists.
Smith at 38, because you traded away some future draft capital to get that pick, well, we'll see I guess
The Pacers only gave Chicago the option to swap 2nd round picks in two future years, plus Kam Jones (who they waived). If the Pacers are better than the Bulls at the time of the swap options, as they should be, and are drafting later in the 2nd, then Chicago's options will be worthless. Plus... 2nd round picks are often pretty worthless anyway, and sold for cash.
"You can't make someone listen to reason if they aren't willing to think"-- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
@shooter 2nd round picks are draft capital, no matter how you slice them. To reiterate my opinion... I think Smith is a stretch at 38, had they owned the pick originally and not needed anything else to make it. But to add draft capital on to it, that they could use in other ways, makes it make less sense, to me. And top 10 or so 2nd round picks, are hardly ever "worthless". If this was a "Bronny" like 56th pick, or whatever he was, a little different. 38, in a deep draft like this... iffy.
Hope he does great and proves me wrong.
Scott Skiles was a 'defensive liability' but he later found a way. As far as past Pacer players.
Maybe Braden can find his niche.
Not a good comparison imo, beyond being short white guys from IN. Skiles averaged 18ppg through his entire college career and 27ppg as a senior. He was a scorer who could also pass (think he still holds the NBA single game assist record!), whereas Braden is a set up guy who can shoot a bit. He's not getting in the lane in the NBA and I think their D and length will really limit his scoring overall. Skiles was still an effective scoring threat in the NBA, and obviously his passing translated. I just don't see Braden being a threat to score with the ball. I liked him and thought we should have offered, but he still far surpassed any expectations I had for him in college, so maybe he'll do it again.
@kkott I think they're decent comps. Both undersized, not traditionally athletic for their size... but relative to their eras playing style, both dominated the ball, and were basically dominant offensively in college at the PG position. As you pointed out, Skiles was definitely more of a shooter/scorer, by nature. He became much more of a facilitator, by necessity I'm sure, in the NBA. I think Skiles was probably a little bit better overall defender than Smith is.
For Smith to stick in the NBA, I think he's going to have to figure out how to be a better defender, and a more consistent outside shooter. I'm thinking of guys like Jose Alvarado, that have hung around in the NBA. And I think Smith could have a similar impact and career. It'll be highlighted by stretches where he plays more due to injuries, and he'll do fine, and it'll be exciting. But overall, he'll be a deep rotation guy. Situational for foul trouble issues, matchup opportunities, and then just good for the Pacers to have around throughout the grueling 82 game schedule. If he can add a few pounds, and become a reliable on the ball defender, and somehow become a knock down open 3 point shooter, he'll have a long career in the NBA, because he'll have tangible things to offer multiple franchises...not just the local fame he provides the Pacers. If he can't plug those holes, the novelty will wear off, and it'll be a relatively short experiment.
@iunorth Yeah, I get all that, I just think the scoring aspect, changes how effective they can be. I agree Skiles gets the edge on defense, because I just think he was more disruptive than Smith is. Yes, if Smith can develop his offensive game enough to become an offensive threat similar to Skiles, I think that changes his outlook a ton. But, that's a big ask. Skiles came in as a proficient scorer. I think if Smith had that in him, he'd have shown more of it in college, where he always had effective scorers around him. He scored way less with way better players around him drawing the best defenders and double teams, making it easier for him to score. Skiles scored way more with defenses working to stop him as the primary scorer.
That's about as deep as any of my basketball analysis goes. 🤣... Not a good comparison imo, beyond being short white guys from IN. ...
I agree Skiles was the better player. But it sure didn't look like a given that he would survive in the NBA. Just saying that I just have to hope Braden can. It is a big ask.
Taking a quick look at BT basketball recruiting 2026 & 2027 (to date)....Rivals/247 top 150 recruits only:
Purdue:
--2027--15/18 Isaiah Hill...7'0"...Ind
--2027--37/35 Kevin Savage...5'11"...GA
--2026--42/38 Luke Ertel...6'1"...Ind
--2026--66/65 Jacib Webber...6'6"...Neb
--2026--71/67 Sinan Huan...7'0"...FL
--2026--NR/147 Jamyn Sondrup...6'9"...UT (subject to Morman mission)
Illinois:
--2027--73/99 Quinton Kitt...6'8"...ILL
--2027--NL/129 Mason Martin...6'5"...ILL
--2026--23/13 Quenton Coleman...6'4"...MO
--2026--50/53 Lucas Morillo...6'6"...San. Do.
--2026--NL/127 Zavier Zens...6'7"...WI
Indiana:
--2027--28/23 Chase Branham...6'4"...MO
--2026--64/66 Vaughn Karvala...6'6"...WI
--2026--79/71 Trevor Manhart...6'7"...NC
--2026--106/88 Prince-Alexander Moody...6'4"...MD
Wisconsin:
--2027--77/69 Jalen Brown...6'4"...WI
--2027--95/83 Baboucarr Ann...6'4"...MN
Nebraska:
--2027--133/131 Ty Suhiagel...6'5"...MN
--2026--82/89 Colin Rice...6'8"...Iowa
--2026--103/114...Jacob Lanier...6'5"...Ark
USC:
--2026--7/9 Christian Collins...6'8"...Cal
--2026--21/22 Adonis Ratliff...7'0"...NY
--2026--32/28 Darius Ratliff,,,7'0"...NY
Michigan:
--2026--14/10 Brandon McCoy...6'5"...Cal
--2026--40/45 Quinn Costello...6'10"...MA
--2026--49/47 Lincoln Cosby...6'9"...OH
--2026--93/98 Joseph Hartman...6'6"...FL
--2026--NL/149 Malachi Brown...6'5"...TN
Ohio State:
--2026--11/7 Anthony Thompson...6'6"...OH
--2026--48/54 LJ Smith...6'4"...NC
Maryland:
--2026--9/8 Baba Oladotun...6'10"...Cal
--2026--44/44 Kaden House...6'3"...AZ
--2026--119/129 Adama Tambedon...6'8"...MA
MSU:
--2026--35/34 Josiah Jervis...6'5"... NY
--2026--45/42 Ethan Taylor...7'1"...KAN
--2026--56/48 Carlos Medlock...5'11"...?
--2026--89/90 Julius Avent...6'7"...NJ
Oregon:
--2026--36/36 Tajh Ariza...6'9"...Cal
--2026--141/NL Kendre' Harrison...6'6"...NC
UCLA:
--2026--58/76 Joe Phillon...6'8"...FL
Iowa:
--2027--NL/108 Keller Daugherty...6'10"...MO
--2026--113/101 Ethan Harris...6'8"...WA
--2026--NL/118 Jaidyn Coon...6'6"...Iowa
Northwestern:
--2026--84/91 Jayden Hodge...6'6"...NJ
Minnesota:
--2026--NL/125 Nolan Anderson...6'5"...MN
--No Rivals/247 Top 150 recruits in 2026 or 2027 to date for Washington; Rutgers; PSU
Purdue just got a commitment from Kevin Savage. That is not good. He’s gonna be a stud in college. He’ll take the ball, basically day 1, from Ertel, I’ll bet.
saw him play at an adidas AAU event. Kid is dynamic. He will be a star