Indiana Pacers off-season wrap-up: The 7 departing players

Kyle O’Quinn

Kyle O’Quinn took over the veteran 3rd string center position previously occupied by Al Jefferson. He didn’t play a whole lot outside of injuries to Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, but often played with energy and rebounded with tenacity.

He signed a 1-year deal with Philadelphia, and should bring his signature smile to a very strong Sixers team.

Darren Collison

This one was a surprise. While there were no indications that the Pacers wanted to bring Darren Collison back on another contract, it turns out that he wasn’t even thinking about signing anywhere.

Shortly before free agency began, he announced that he was retiring from the NBA at just 31 years old to pursue his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. We wish him all the best and thank him for his two different stints with the Pacers. He provided a steady hand at point guard next to Oladipo and had a penchant for hitting clutch shots in close games.

Tyreke Evans

This one was also surprising. After the season ended, Tyreke Evans was banned from the NBA for 2 years for violating the league’s drug policy (yikes). There weren’t many details beyond that, but Evans will not be in the league for the next two seasons.

His time in Indiana was, in a word, strange. He never seemed to gel with the rest of the team, was punished a couple times for being late to practice, and never really played at the level fans expected. There was really no chance the Pacers would re-sign him, but now no team even gets that opportunity.

That’s a wrap on the 7 players leaving the Indiana Pacers. All these guys were important pieces of the team last season, and we wish them luck moving forward. Check back tomorrow as we continue to recap the off-season and take a look at what our new players bring to the table.