Building blocks
Victor Oladipo SG |
Thaddeus Young SF/PF |
Myles Turner PF |
Draft picks
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T.J. Leaf PF
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Ike Anigbogu PF/C |
Edmond Sumner PG/SG |
Draft board
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The Pacers are coming off a fairly disappointing season, they made the playoffs and finished with a record of 42-40, but were ultimately swept by Cleveland. They also faced some "drama" when it came to Paul George, the LA rumors started late in the season and he never seemed all that happy throughout the year. It seemed as if Indiana was going to continue building around him heading into free agency, but George came out a week before the draft saying he would not sign an extension in Indiana. The Pacers quickly traded George to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. It's tough to get fair value for a superstar in any trade, but it makes it even more difficult when the players contract is expiring and everyone knows he wants out.
Both Oladipo and Sabonis are solid players, but it's tough not to get any picks when dealing a player of George's status. They also could've been a bit more patient and seen what types of offers they could've gotten later in the offseason. However, with all that being said, the Pacers have a core of Turner, Oladipo, and some young pieces. They also added talent through the draft by selecting UCLA Bruins T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu along with Xavier PG/SG Edmond Sumner. Each are projects, but all provide some upside. Lastly, they bolstered their PG depth by acquiring Corey Joseph and Darren Collison, both of which are good role players on reasonable contracts. Overall the Pacers are now entering "rebuild" mode as they move on from Paul George, I doubt they make the playoffs, but they do have some pieces to build on. Team Needs
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Estimated Cap Space
$1,930,246 UFA Jeff Teague PG, C.J. Miles SF, Georges Niang SF, Rodney Stuckey PG, Monta Ellis SG, Aaron Brooks PG, Rakeem Christmas SG, Lavoy Allen PF/C RFA None |