The State of the Indiana Pacers Roster

Looking at the Indiana Pacers roster and seeing what they need going into next season.

Despite their near playoff success giving a different impression, the Indiana Pacers are still a team in the middle of a transition.

The Pacers can fully commit to a small ball approach this off-season or they can look to bolster the roster in ways that mimic the bigger lineups they used this season. If Larry Bird has his way, the Pacers will likely get smaller and faster, but we could see old habits die hard if they aren’t working on the court, one of the reasons Frank Vogel stuck with his bigs, and a reason why Nate McMillan may as well.

While we don’t know what the future holds, we do know a few things about Indiana as they head into the offseason.

Here are a few educated assumptions.

• Solomon Hill is gone
• Jordan Hill is gone
• Ty Lawson is back

The biggest known unknown is whether Ian Mahinmi re-signs with the Pacers. His better-than-expected 2015-16 campaign has made his price higher, but not too high for the Pacers. It will likely be a matter of whether another team offers him more money or a better situation.

When the season ended, it appeared he wants to stay in Indiana.

The Pacers will have somewhere between $7.2 and $30 million to spend on free agents, with $23 million being a good guess if the Pacers retain Mahinmi.

Pacers Salary Commitments | PointAfter

In the backcourt, George Hill, Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey, Joseph Young, as well as Lawson, should return. At this point, one would expect George Hill and Monta Ellis to be the starters while Lawson and Stuckey come off the bench, and Young is used sparingly.

In between the guards and the bigs will be C.J. Miles, Glenn Robinson III, as well as Paul George.

The bigs at this point are Myles Turner, LaVoy Allen, Shayne Whittington, and Rakeem Christmas.

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Needless to say, the frontcourt will likely be a priority for the Pacers. Turner and Allen are the only ones with plentiful playoff experience, and Whittington and Christmas spent most of the 2015-16 season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

There will obviously be additions to the roster, but it is a bit of a charlie-foxtrot at the moment. While Ellis and Hill are fine guards, there is still the question of whether they really fit together in a way that is more than just passable. Both had their moments last season, but it never seemed either found a role they could maintain for a long stretch of time.

Ty Lawson was brought in with the hope he’d provide the Pacers a “true” point guard, but so far he’s been a disaster. There is no definite indication if he’s coming back, but the rumors seem to be pointing that way.

Long story short: The Pacers are still in a state of flux. They need big men, but the guards and bench could use some tightening up as well.

Next: Paul George Plans to Join Team USA This Summer

Larry Bird will have to decide the direction of the team soon with the NBA Draft and free agency fastly approaching.