The Indiana Pacers will have a tough road in the Eastern Conference.
The Indiana Pacers have to make a decision on what they plan to do next season. The east is going to be a gauntlet and the Pacers may not have enough firepower to compete unless they make a move early in the offseason.
This offseason is officially underways as trades are free to be explored and finalized. The NBA Draft is Nov. 18 with free agency set to open in the following days. Already, the Eastern Conference has been busy with adding talented players – or at least trying to make something happen.
The Milwaukee Bucks are off to a hot start this offseason, adding quality veterans in Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic while shipping off Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, among other assets. Milwaukee, a clear favorite to come out of the east, gets even better before the season.
Elsewhere in the east, the Brooklyn Nets could be on the verge of a big trade. The Nets already have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant heading into the season but they could be in the market for another superstar in James Harden. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Harden prefers to be traded to Brooklyn rather than continue his career in Houston.
Rockets star James Harden wants to be on a contender elsewhere, and Brooklyn and Philadelphia are believed to be his top desired trade destinations, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 16, 2020
Houston is fully comfortable keeping Harden and Russell Westbrook into the season.
The Pacers, who are coming off a strong regular season in 2019-20, will have a much more challenging road to the playoffs next season. Milwaukee, Brooklyn, and Boston are clear contenders ahead of Indiana and they could all still make more moves.
In my opinion, Indiana can either run it back with their current roster and put out the best lineup possible to try and pull an upset in the playoffs or they can sell some assets to get younger. It would not make much sense to stay stagnant and challenge teams how things stand but it gives Indiana the best chance to compete right now.
Trading for younger assets and draft picks could set the Pacers up down the road, but it is difficult to predict how the league will look in two years. These next few weeks will be very telling for the Indiana Pacers and their upcoming season.