The Indiana Pacers' off-season was a relatively quiet one. They did not make any major trades. They had most of their rotation in place. The primary deal they made to change the outlook of their team was completed during the trade deadline, swapping out Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and a few first-round picks for Ivica Zubac.
No, the primary edition was set to be Tyrese Haliburton coming back from his Achilles tendon tear, and the returned presence of the veterans all along the Pacers roster who had either been injured or been kept out of games for the Pacers to tank.
However, even within a quiet off-season, Indiana made a singular move, using up all of the cap space they had on one player.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to be the sixth man for a Pacers team that sought him out. Oubre has been an excellent bench piece for the Philadelphia 76ers for the past few seasons. He brings many of the same things that Mathurin did during his Pacers tenure, from tenacious rim running to decent enough shooting to a connective skill set that will work in the Pacers system.
Oubre will immediately slot in as a key rotation contributor, likely meaning this eight-man rotation will put heavy expectations on him to produce and stay healthy.
However, while it was easy to see why the Pacers wanted to sign him, it was, until today's press conference, a little confusing as to why Oubre wanted so badly to sign in Indiana. After all, this is a team that won only 19 games last year.
Media Day answered those questions.
""The most important part of it is that nobody had to say anything to me about that [winning culture], you just see it... I'm very proud to be a part of that, and I'm very excited to instill it in my DNA as well.""Kelly Oubre
Free agency falls short in Indiana
The Pacers have not been a free agent destination.
In fact, one could argue that the biggest free agent signing in recent Pacers history was C.J. Miles, who was a decent player but by no means anything special.
No, due to their two-headed failures in the draft and lack of appeal in free agency, they have had to make almost all of their moves through trade.
With a razor-thin margin, the Pacers have managed to pull it off anyway.
While it's hard to claim that a team that won fewer than 20 games last year could suddenly vault itself back into contention, it doesn't seem too outlandish for the Pacers.
Haliburton will run the show, returning the engine that the team desperately needs. Zubac and Siakam will show that they are so much more than just complementary pieces, offering complete changes in game style when Haliburton sits. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith will hit shots, moving off the ball and finding open windows to get their threes off. Off the bench, TJ McConnell will define everything that Indiana wants to be, and Kelly Oubre, crucially, will be there to add to and enhance every aspect.
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