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The Indiana Pacers' offseason has been one of the more dramatic ones in the NBA. The Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn ACL in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. In the aftermath of the injury, Indiana chose to let starting center Myles Turner walk in free agency to the Milwaukee Bucks. Pacers general manager Chad Buchanon will replace him with Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson.
Huff was a free agent addition after his time with the Memphis Grizzlies came to an end. Jackson, however, has spent his entire career in Indiana. The Pacers signed the young center to a three-year, $21 million contract, according to Shams Charania. Jackson was buried in the depth chart behind Turner and Tony Bradley last season. His team is excited to see what he can become.
At 23 years old, Jackson still has a ways to go before he hits his prime. While he did not receive much playing time in Rick Carlisle's rotation, his development has intrigued the Pacers' coaching staff. Buchanon now has three centers on his roster that could help fill the hole left by Turner.
Indiana brought Huff in on a manageable deal earlier this offseason. However, the fact that Buchanon and the team's owners would not go into the luxury tax to pay Turner has bothered experts since they lost him to the Bucks. Compared to teams throughout the league, the Pacers are a smaller market and are unwilling to pay taxes to keep their team together.
Jackson gives Indiana a young replacement that could grow into Turner's shoes. He is not the 3-point shooting threat that Turner was. However, he gives Haliburton a consistent lob threat to target around the rim. Jackson's new contract is a show of faith from his organization that he is a part of a core that will be waiting for Haliburton when he returns.
