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Before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to COVID-19, the Indiana Pacers had a record of 39-26. It was an impressive mark considering All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo only appeared in 13 games. The high-flyer missed the early part of the season recovering from a ruptured quad tendon in his knee.
In the 13 games he played in, Oladipo averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25.9 minutes per contest. He was shooting 39.1 percent from the field, as the rust was clearly still there. The Pacers were looking forward to Dipo catching his rhythm just before the start of the 2020 playoffs, but COVID-19 prevented that from happening.
If the 2019-20 season gets canceled altogether though, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan should consider making the following three moves to bolster Indiana's roster.
3. Sign Joe Harris away from the Brooklyn Nets
Harris is one of the best shooters in the NBA and he just so happens to become an unrestricted free agent whenever the 2020 free agency period begins. The Pacers made only 648 3-pointers before the season was suspended. That was second to last in the NBA.
Harris shot 41.2 percent from beyond the arc for the Nets in 2019-20. He made 152 triples and is the perfect shooter to pair alongside Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon. The driving lanes that Oladipo, Brogdon, and T.J. Warren would have playing with Harris would be massive.
Harris, who began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, has career averages of 10.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. The Nets want to bring him back, but if the Pacers offer Harris a lucrative deal, he might snatch it.
2. Sign Jordan Clarkson
Jeremy Lamb will likely miss the entire 2020-21 season for the Pacers. He suffered a torn ACL, torn meniscus, and fracture in his left knee in the middle of the 2019-20 campaign.
As a result, the Pacers are going to need a microwave bench scorer to come in the game and get buckets. Clarkson is the perfect player to play this role for Indiana. He put up 15.1 points for the Cavs and Utah Jazz before the season was suspended.
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That's the type of production the Pacers need off their bench, especially when Oladipo and Brogdon are tired or not having good games.
Clarkson will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. He was making $13.4 million this 2019-20.
1. Bring D.J. Augustin back
Augustin played one year with the Pacers back in 2012-13. He averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 assists in 76 games, five of them being starts.
As Pacers fans learned this season, Brogdon is talented but he's also injury prone. The former Rookie of the Year played in 48 games before the season was suspended. He recently recovered from a torn left rectus femoris.
Indiana needs a veteran point guard who can come off the bench, run a team and score, too. However, since Brogdon can't seem to stay healthy, it would be beneficial for the Pacers to have a back-up who can start and perform at a high-level if needed.
Since his one year with the Pacers, Augustin has averaged 10.1 points and 4.0 assists over 498 games with the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic.
The Magic may be willing to let Augustin walk in free agency since they have former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz on the roster, and he appears to have found a home in Orlando. Plus, at this stage of his career, Augustin would be better served to come off the bench for a contender.
