The Indiana Pacers and head coach Nate McMillan are finalizing the details on a contract extension, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Last season, McMillan coached the Pacers to 48 wins — good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference — and in conjunction with the play of All-Star and Most Improved Player Victor Oladipo, the Pacers nearly knocked off the eventual conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a close seven-game first round series.
Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan has reached an agreement in principle on a contract extension that will take him through the 2020-21 season, league sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
The Pacers hired McMillan in 2016 after firing then head coach Frank Vogel as the team was in search of a coach that could usher in a new style of play, particularly on the offensive end, that more closely resembled the changing dynamics in the league. McMillan served as the Pacers’ associate coach under Vogel for three seasons before being promoted and signing a 3-year deal.
With 12 seasons of head-coaching experience under his belt before taking the Pacers job, McMillan gained a reputation around the league as a defensive-minded coach who ran an efficient, slower paced offense.
After the Paul George trade to Oklahoma City, the Pacers were expected to rebuild and slowly build an identity. However, McMillan was able to coach around the emerged talents of Oladipo, and the Pacers were a formidable squad both offensively and defensively.
McMillan as a head coach – which includes five seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics and seven seasons as the Portland Trailblazers head coach – made the postseason more times than not.
The 53-year-old head coach had one year remaining on his current deal, and as head coach of the Pacers boasts a 90-74 regular season record.
