The Indiana Pacers were one of the biggest tragedies in the NBA this season, as a team with real aspirations of having a deep playoff run lost its best player in Victor Oladipo for the season after a quad tear in late January.
The Pacers went on to scrap together 48 wins with heart, depth and gritty defense, but their lack of talent was exposed in a first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
The good news for Indiana is Oladipo is on his way back, and the Pacers will have around $50 million in cap room this summer.
Of course, Indy has a couple of its own free agents to worry about, as both Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young will hit the open market this offseason, but the Pacers can re-sign one of them while still having plenty of money to play with.
Here is a list of three players Indiana should absolutely pursue this summer:
3. J.J. Redick
The Pacers were actually a really good three-point shooting team this season, ranking fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage, but they could certainly use another sharpshooter to spread the floor.
Why not J.J. Redick?
While Redick seems to love it in Philadelphia and almost certainly wants to re-sign with the 76ers, the Sixers may not be able to afford him if they end up getting even one of Jimmy Butler or Tobias Harris (keep in mind that Ben Simmons hits the free-agent market next summer), so that might clear the way for the 2-guard to play elsewhere.
Indiana would be a perfect fit for Redick, as he could provide Oladipo with a lethal outlet on the perimeter.
What's more, Redick would not handicap the Pacers financially, leaving them plenty of room to sign another big-name free agent.
2. Mike Conley
We have heard the rumors about the Pacers being interested in Mike Conley, who is still under contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Obviously, Indiana would need to part with some pieces in order to acquire Conley, but due to the fact that he has a $32.5 million salary for next season and will likely be on the final year of his deal (he has a player option for 2020-21), he might not be too costly in terms of assets.
Conley, who can both score and facilitate, would slot in very nicely alongside of Oladipo and would take a whole lot of pressure off of ‘Dipo, allowing him to play more freely without feeling the need to run the offense while also being the No. 1 scorer.
One thing I will say is that Conley has had a whole lot of injury issues over the last several years, so the Pacers would have to proceed with caution, but a healthy Conley would be a terrific pickup.
1. Kemba Walker
That brings us to the best possible option for Indiana: Kemba Walker.
Walker is a free agent, so, unlike Conley, the Pacers would not have to surrender any pieces to get him. Also, Walker is flat out better than Conley and honestly isn't much different from Kyrie Irving, so he would obviously be a huge pickup for an Indiana team that is definitely in need of another scorer to boost the offense.
A tandem of Oladipo and Walker would be absolutely lethal and would truly shake up the Eastern Conference, as the Pacers would instantly own the best backcourt in the East.
Imagine having ‘Dipo and Kemba together late in games. Indy would be ridiculously difficult to stop.
This is something that needs to happen.
Follow Us
Subscribe