The Indiana Pacers exceeded pretty much every expectation set out for them this season. Believed to be a promising, young team but not much more currently, the Pacers made the NBA Playoffs for the first time in years and shockingly reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a decade.
But now what? The Pacers were one of four teams to get to the conference finals, but they were swept by the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics, and with no hardware to speak of, sights should be turning to the future and what, if anything, Indiana can do to capitalize on a great season.
As a result, the 2024 offseason will likely prove pivotal in how the Pacers fare over the next several years. So what exactly can or should the Pacers do over the summer to bolster their chances to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June?
Re-sign Pascal Siakam
The most important move the Indiana Pacers made during the 2023-24 season was trading for Pascal Siakam. A key member of the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA Championship team, Siakam’s value to a seemingly rebuilding Toronto was dwindling, but for a franchise on the upswing and trying to compete like Indiana, he is almost invaluable.
The Pacers executed the trade in January, sending out offseason signing Bruce Brown, as well as Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks. The trade signified and reaffirmed the Pacers’ commitment to competing for a playoff spot and ultimately a championship.
Now, Siakam is set to become an unrestricted free agent and will command a large contract, a fact Indiana was well aware of when it acquired him from Toronto. So while it would appear like a foregone conclusion, it should not be taken for granted: the Pacers must re-sign Pascal Siakam this offseason.
It appears Siakam and the Pacers will officially ink a max contract when they are able to in July. The deal is reportedly set for nearly $190 million over four years. That is a steep price, of course, but it is one the Pacers have to pay in order to keep a two-way wing as talented and experienced as Siakam.
In 41 games with the Pacers, Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 54.9% from the field and 38.6% from three. Siakam maintained his per-game numbers in the postseason, although his three-point shooting dipped below 30%.
If the Pacers were to let Siakam walk, possibly to the Philadelphia 76ers, then Indiana would be accepting a loss of numerous first-round picks and Bruce Brown for nothing. And if Siakam did end up in Philadelphia, which has plenty of cap space and a fellow Cameroonian star in Joel Embiid, Indiana would be giving one of its Eastern Conference rivals an All-Star-caliber player.
Prioritize Tyrese Haliburton’s health
Tyrese Haliburton, while a great player, was not the same after suffering a left hamstring strain in January. The numbers don’t lie either.
In the first 32 games of the season (before the injury), Haliburton averaged 24.2 points and 12.7 assists per game while shooting 40.4% on three-pointers. After missing 10 games in January due to the injury, Haliburton played the final 35 games of the season seemingly managing the injury. As a result, his numbers declined in a big way; he posted averages of 16.8 points and 9.3 assists, as well as 32.4% three-point shooting following his return.
Haliburton, playing in his first playoffs, performed admirably but not to the level he had shown early in the regular season. While shooting 37.9% from three, Haliburton averaged 18.7 points and 8.2 assists before missing the final two games of the Pacers’ season when he reaggravated the same hamstring in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics.
Simply put, the Pacers have no shot at winning the NBA Championship in 2025 without Haliburton. While Siakam has proven he is a very capable scorer who can drop 20 or 30 points on any given night, he has to have a running partner for the Pacers to have success.
Even with Andrew Nembhard’s breakout party in the playoffs, a fully healthy Haliburton can help take the Pacers to the next level, especially if Siakam and Nembhard can play at or especially above the levels they showed in the postseason. This season, Haliburton likely should have sat for a longer time period in an attempt to heal his hamstring injury, but if he had missed much more time, he would not have been eligible for an All-NBA team and thus a larger max contract extension.
That is all understandable, both from Haliburton and the Pacers’ points of view, and with the extension amount now no longer being an issue, the Pacers should take precautions with Haliburton and make sure he’s as healthy as he can be heading into the 2025 season — even if that means Haliburton missing the Olympics.
Don’t be the Atlanta Hawks
Three years ago, the Atlanta Hawks were coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance with an All-Star point guard capable of a nightly 20-point, 10-assist double-double at the helm. Sound familiar? It should.
But despite that surprising playoff success in 2021, the Hawks are not in a good place now – to say the least – and appear to be on the verge of rebuilding. So the Pacers, for all of their success this season, should closely analyze the mistakes the Hawks made in the past three years.
In the offseason after their playoff surprise, the Hawks added no one of note. They acquired Delon Wright, a 20-minute-per-game player, and signed a few deep-bench players. However, the issues they had in 2021, namely defense, still needed to be addressed.
The following offseason, the Hawks traded multiple first-round picks for Dejounte Murray, a player used to the role already possessed by Trae Young. Needless to say, the fit has been less than ideal, and now, the Hawks are teetering on a rebuild.
The Pacers have already made their big acquisition (Siakam), but they should be wise to shore up their weaknesses, like their defense behind Haliburton, rebounding (28th in the league in rebounds), and fouling.
Of course, these issues are easier to resolve in theory than in practice, especially with the cap limitations that Siakam and Haliburton’s extensions will bring – the pair will earn more than $80 million combined next season – but it is crucial the Pacers not remain content with being the surprising ECF team heading into the 2024-25 season. But they also shouldn’t reach to add an ill-fitting piece like the Hawks did with Murray, so it is a fine line they are walking.
Follow Us
Subscribe