The Indiana Pacers have had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA. A look at the moves they have made thus far during the 2023 NBA free agency period reinforces the notion that the Pacers shouldn't be too far away from contending for a playoff spot and perhaps even making some noise once there. The Pacers extended Tyrese Haliburton, handing him the keys to the franchise for the foreseeable future, while adding the likes of Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin, players who should flourish playing in an unselfish system in Indianapolis.
Even the performances of their youngsters during Summer League only serves to add more fuel to that fire. Jarace Walker looks the part of a long-term keeper, emerging as a strong defender and a dynamic passer at the power forward position. Ben Sheppard, the Pacers' other first-rounder, has shown incredible feel for the game much like sophomore guard Andrew Nembhard has. Meanwhile, Isaiah Jackson may be primed for a big third season if he continues to make strides on both ends of the floor.
The Pacers could enter next season with at least two solid contributors at every position while boasting quality depth behind those players as well. Overall, Indiana had an A+ worthy offseason — but one move stands out as less-than-ideal when taking into account the entire chain of decisions that went into a certain deal.
Here is the Pacers' biggest mistake during the 2023 NBA free agency period, although it's worth mentioning that this “mistake” shouldn't be too detrimental to the franchise's future.
Pacers' biggest mistake during 2023 NBA free agency: Dumping Chris Duarte to the Sacramento Kings for scraps
During the 2020-21 season, the Indiana Pacers expected to, once again, compete for a spot in the playoffs. However, injuries to key players, not to mention the increasingly iffy fit between Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, didn't help matters at all in that regard. They fell to the Washington Wizards during the play-in tournament, guaranteeing that they would be picking in the lottery for the first time since selecting Turner with the 11th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.
The Pacers' recent track record when it came to drafting towards the back-end of the lottery was promising. They picked Paul George with the 10th pick in 2010, and Turner remains a quality starter for the franchise entering his ninth season in the league. At the very least, there was precedent that Indiana could pluck a high-level contributor with the 13th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft.
In the end, the Pacers selected Chris Duarte, one of the older prospects in the draft, with that pick. Duarte would provide some instant offense for the team on the wing, as he put up 17.1 points on 53.2 percent shooting from the field during his senior year at Oregon. Never mind that Duarte was already 24 at the time of selection.
And to begin his Pacers career, Duarte looked like a long-term keeper. He began his career in such a promising manner, scoring 27 points on 9-15 shooting (6-9 from deep), looking like the player the team had envisioned when they selected him high in the draft. But since then, it has been a topsy-turvy road for Duarte. He went in and out of the lineup due to injury, but whenever he was on the court, he was still racking up the points totals.
During his rookie campaign, he averaged 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds on 43.2 percent from three and 36.9 percent from deep. While linear progression isn't guaranteed, one would think Chris Duarte could continue playing a huge role especially with the Pacers neck-deep in a rebuild after dealing away Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton.
But the 2022-23 season was an unquestioned nightmare for Duarte. He still had his moments, but he never quite recovered from the ankle injury that knocked him out of action in early November. Since then, Duarte found himself in a smaller role due to the emergence of Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, and his efficiency from the field tanked, making it difficult for him to earn minutes.
Duarte shot just 36.9 percent from the field last year, which is horrendous. But given the rapid progression of the Pacers' youngsters, the 26-year old wing became expendable. And soon enough, the Pacers dealt him away to the Kings for two second-round picks.
Of course, trading Chris Duarte for scraps isn't the end of the world for the Pacers. The team traded away two second-rounders for fellow lottery reclamation project Obi Toppin anyway, so in the end, essentially dealing away Duarte for Toppin makes the move a much better one for them. However, that's not exactly an ideal return for a player the franchise picked in the lottery just two years ago.