Courtesy of Tony East of Sports Illustrated
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Keisei Tominaga has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers, two league sources told Pacers on SI. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony was first to report the agreement, and the University of Nebraska also confirmed the deal.
Tominaga, 23, just wrapped up a five-year college career. The last three came at Nebraska, where the Japanese wing developed into a terrific shooter. He averaged 15.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in his final season with the Cornhuskers.
The prior two seasons saw Tominaga play at Ranger College. He tested the NBA Draft waters in 2023 before ultimately returning to school, and he performed a pre-draft workout with the Pacers prior to withdrawing from last year’s draft.
“It was good. It was a very good experience for me,” Tominaga said of the workout. “It was amazing for me,” he added, noting that he hoped to show teams his three-point shooting in the pre-draft sessions. His dream has always been to play in the NBA.
Tominaga knocked down 38.7% of his three-point shots across 367 attempts in his final two seasons at Nebraska. He won the NCAA three-point contest in early April as well.
By joining the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 contract, Tominaga could end up in a number of different places. Contracts with Exhibit 10 language are one-year, minimum salary agreements that are not guaranteed. However, if a player with an Exhibit 10 deal is waived by an NBA team and then reports to their G League affiliate for 60+ days, they receive a bonus. That bonus can go as high as $77,518 this season. His deal could also be converted to a two-way contract.
The young wing/guard will likely spend some time with the Indiana Mad Ants this season as a result of this agreement, though he could land with the Pacers if things go well. Tennessee forward Josiah-Jordan James has also agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Indiana.
When players enter the NBA ranks, no team or G League club owns their rights. When they go undrafted, a team can acquire their G League rights by signing them to an Exhibit 10 deal for at least on practice day in training camp. Both James and Tominaga could fall into this category, though they may be more involved.
Tominaga will not be playing in summer league for Indiana. He is on Japan’s 16-man roster that will soon be trimmed ahead of the Olympics and has been playing in exhibitions this week. He played for the Japanese squad in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup as well — he averaged 11.4 points per game at the event.
The Pacers standard roster is nearly full after their offseason moves.