The Indiana Pacers are one of the most intriguing teams entering the 2021-22 offseason period.
After committing to the tank for the first time in over 30 years, finishing with 25 wins and the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, optimism is protruding from an organization that was in desperate need of a reset.
Trading away core players Domantas Sabonis and Caris LeVert in February, Indiana is not done yet with rumors already swirling around the futures of Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon.
After seeing their success stagnate to no postseason series victories, it was well overdue to remake the roster. And this was an idea on the table already for multiple years, but it was scrapped by ownership for a more win-now mindset.
It’s a new era in Indianapolis going all-in on the youth movement. Trading Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings resulted in Tyrese Haliburton falling into their laps. As the new face of the franchise, Haliburton flashed immense upside immediately upon his arrival. And the cupboard isn’t exactly barren either with Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson flashing enticing potential during their rookie campaigns.
Exiting the win-now mentality into a more long-term approach, Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard feels rejuvenated. The importance of this offseason isn’t lost on the Pacers, who need to find a spark that stays lit for years to come. Going in the direction of betting on youth could be risky, but for a small market team it’s certainly the best strategy.
“It reminds me of Portland,” Pritchard said of how transformative this draft could be for the Pacers. “Frankly, we turned the franchise around in one draft. I can’t promise we’ll do that but we’ll certainly give it our best.”
What Pritchard is referring to is when he was in charge of the Trail Blazers and somehow pulled off a grand slam landing Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge in the same draft class. Pritchard is known for his aggressive nature in trades, which has permeated over the last decade in Indiana. If the Pacers come anywhere close to the scenario Pritchard is referring to, they will be competitive rather quickly.
“I think there are opportunities to get aggressive in this draft,” Pritchard said on Tuesday following the NBA Draft Lottery. “Having that pick in hand right now, along with having cap space — we could have up to $25 million and we could probably generate more — the biggest thing for me is the incredible amount of optionality. We could add a core piece to this group all the way from using our cap space to bring in a player and grab another pick. The gamut of where we can go is wider and higher than any time I’ve been around. We were writing down scenarios the past few weeks and we were at 20 and we were still cooking.”
The possibilities truly are endless for Indiana. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Pacers end the 2022 draft with multiple first-round picks. Also, moving one or two veterans feels like a very likely scenario to unfold in late June.
Indiana can operate in a chameleon-like way this summer. With the flexibility to absorb bad contracts and take on either role of buying or selling, the Pacers could be wheeling-and-dealing all throughout draft night and the entire offseason. Is Indiana a team that could take advantage of their flexibility immediately?
According to Cleaning The Glass, Indiana will enter the offseason with $28.1 million in cap space, which includes a $4.7 million cap hold in place for Jalen Smith’s hopeful return. Don’t be surprised if you hear rumors about the Pacers being linked to Russell Westbrook and Gordon Hayward’s albatross contracts. (For example, Charlotte trades Hayward and No. 13 overall to Indiana for Turner.)
Not many teams qualify, but Indiana certainly does with a roster all-in on internal development from its young core. The Pacers’ just kick-started their rebuild less than a year ago, so expect Pritchard and Co. to continue operating in that manner for the foreseeable future.
Ironically enough, when speaking on the Pacers’ core players, none of the veterans were mentioned. This could be yet another sign that the desire for Indiana to continue to demolish the roster headlined by Brogdon, Turner, and Buddy Hield.
“There are a lot of ways we can take this but we feel comfortable there’s a great chance to get one core young player to add to Tyrese (Haliburton), Chris (Duarte), hopefully keep Stix (Jalen Smith), Isaiah (Jackson).” Pritchard said. “We’re going to add to this young group. We have (picks) 6, 31, 58. Do we keep those or do we get aggressive?”
With the way Pritchard was speaking to the media on Tuesday, it would be stunning at this point if the Pacers are not one of the NBA’s most active teams. Indiana won’t keep all of their draft picks, and there’s smoke billowing out about them wanting to move into the top-three overall selections.
Hitting reboot on a team is a painful process, but the Pacers knew it had to be done. Now, the fortunes of their franchise look much more fruitful compared to where it was before 2022. And if the No. 6 overall pick is parlayed into a homegrown star, Indiana hit the jackpot. Incredibly enough, Indiana hasn’t owned a top-six pick since 1988 when they selected Rik Smits at No. 2 overall.
In Compare.bet’s NBA Lottery Mock Draft 1.0, Indiana selected Arizona wing Bennedict Mathurin at No. 6. Indiana is in a very advantageous spot if they stay in their current draft slot, because it’s a guarantee two of these four players will be on the board: Jaden Ivey (Purdue), Keegan Muray (Iowa), Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky), Mathurin.
Although the Pacers consistently fly under the radar on a national scale, they will be one of the few teams who control the entire activity of offseason movement. Buckle up, because Indiana is about to race off into an aggressive next few months of team building.
