Update: The Indiana Pacers have agreed to a 2-year, $45 million deal with Bruce Brown Jr. All the reporting on this turns out to be true as Woj and others have since confirmed it.

League Sources confirm Bruce Brown headed to the Indiana Pacers on a 2 year $45 million deal. Brown gets paid for the first time in his career. The Nuggets have to replace a big cog in their machine

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 30, 2023

Tony East reports that the second season is a team option.

Can confirm that Bruce Brown is signig with the Pacers on a two-year deal with a team option in the second year. @AlexGoldenNBA first (by a mile!)

$45 million in total. $22 million first year and $23 million in the second year, I'm told.

— Tony East (@TonyREast) June 30, 2023

Brown is now the highest paid player for next season on the Indiana Pacers which is just a wild statement.

Bruce Brown – $22 million
Myles Turner – $20.975 million
Buddy Hield – $18.568 million
Daniel Theis – $9.1 million https://t.co/eDOK1yDCGj

— iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) June 30, 2023

Bruce Brown Jr. is a very in-demand free agent after his key contributions to the Denver Nuggets championship run. Because they are limited in what they can legally offer him, it looks like he will be cashing in, teams will cap space and even just the mid-level exception could swoop in and give him an offer he can’t refuse.

"Is Brucey B going anywhere? Hell no! We're running this sh*t back! … Get loud!"

Nuggets coach Michael Malone is on one as he talks about Bruce Brown 😂 pic.twitter.com/lgSgJrh7P4

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 15, 2023

Marc Stein, who has now reported multiple Pacers rumors over the last few days, was the first to mention Brown as a possible Pacers target.

More on these items: The Pacers have been cited tonight as a threat to sign Bruce Brown with cap space … while Max Strus is said to have multiple potential landing spots for his seemingly inevitable Miami exit. Both are contenders for contracts above the $12.4 million midlevel.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2023

Stein also reported specific details of a contract they could offer Max Strus and says they are the leading team at the moment to pry Obi Toppin from the Knicks via trade. There’s a lot going on hours before free agency starts! We shall see if any of these actually happen or if perhaps at least some of these were simply leverage plays by agents.

Leading more credence to the Brown report in particular, Kelly Iko of The Athletic said that the Pacers are one of four teams that will meet with Brown when free agency opens. That’s a pretty concrete report of potential mutual interest if the two sides will meet together.

At the outset of free agency, SF Bruce Brown will meet with the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, sources tell @TheAthletic.

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) June 30, 2023

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report also reports that Brown could be a Pacers target and with a major offer potentially.

The Pacers could offer Bruce Brown over $20M per year 😳, per @JakeLFischer

“If Brown were to return to the Nuggets, he’d be eligible for a four-year, $50 million-plus deal. But there’s been plenty of word in recent days that the Indiana Pacers could be the team that slaps a… pic.twitter.com/5HmIjzhUhG

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 30, 2023

While Brown is an undersized guard, he’s been a valuable contributor on multiple contending teams now in creative roles with both the Nets and the Nuggets. That malleability to fit in multiple situations at a high level makes him an intriguing role player for many teams.

The Pacers are also reportedly “nearing a deal” to send Chris Duarte to the Kings which would open up a roster slot and some minutes on the wing for these possible targets.