At the All-Star break, the Indiana Pacers are seven games above .500 and are in prime position for another deep playoff run. After their conference finals appearance last season, the Pacers are an even more complete team and remain a threat to anybody in the playoffs, including the top dogs of the Eastern Conference.
Earlier this month, the Pacers opted to mostly stand pat at the trade deadline, only trading away James Wiseman to the Toronto Raptors. By doing this, the Pacers' front office is indicating that they are content with the roster as is and feel like the current team can contend for a title. It remains to be seen if this pans out or not, but it is only fair to at least give them the opportunity nonetheless.
With this logic, it is likely that the Pacers will also remain quiet in the buyout market. They initially tried landing Alex Len, who was bought out by the Washington Wizards, but he ultimately joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, the Pacers called up Jahliil Okafor and signed him to a 10-day contract, which could be indicative of their plans in the buyout market this season.
The Pacers will likely stand pat the rest of the way
The Pacers have a good and talented roster. Additionally, they have improved as a defensive unit. When fully healthy, there are few teams in the league who could match up against them in a seven-game series. They still have a little bit to go before they are considered on the same level as Eastern Conference contenders like the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, but they are certainly right there.
If the Pacers were to bolster their roster in the buyout market, they would likely add a third big man to backup Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant. However, as it stands, it is unlikely that there would be a player who also fits the Pacers' system. Instead, the Pacers could decide to keep Okafor around for the rest of the season or convert a player like Enrique Freeman's contract into a standard deal.
Fortunately for the Pacers, they are not desperate to add a player in the buyout market. Their team is good enough on paper to make another deep playoff run and potentially compete for a championship. Because of this, it is unlikely they sign a player who was bought out. Even if they do, the chances of them making an immediate impact are incredibly slim.