The Indiana Pacers have a talented team and a bright future, but they don't have many years left with their current core, and they need to go all in on their title contention right now.
Indiana has a ton of young talent (Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith are all under 27 years old; Obi Toppin and Ivica Zubac are under 30 years old; and the team might still land a top draft prospect in AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, or Caleb Wilson). But its veterans are crucial to the team's success, namely Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell, and it only has a couple of more seasons to make it work with them on the roster.
The Pacers don't have many years left with their core
The Pacers already look very different from the team that made it to Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season (Myles Turner is with the Milwaukee Bucks, Bennedict Mathurin is with the Los Angeles Clippers, and James Johnson is probably out there fighting someone at this very moment), and that's just the beginning.
In a recent episode of the "Setting the Pace" podcast, Michael Facci said the Pacers likely have a two-year window with their current core. In 2028, Siakam will be 34 years old, and McConnell will be 36 years old.
Additionally, it's still early, but only two players are under contract for Indiana for the 2028-29 season (Haliburton and Nesmith; McConnell and Kam Jones each have a team option). All of this could be a sign of how different the roster is going to look in two years.
"Guys like Pascal Siakam, T.J. McConnell. They're not getting any younger. You have to go after it, and we look at this team probably having about a two-year window with this core to really go after it. A lot of the contracts have two seasons left on it. The Pacers gotta make this year count," Facci said.
Fortunately for the Pacers, they are in a good spot to compete for a championship next season.
Haliburton is expected to come back from his Achilles injury. Players like Nembhard and Siakam should be even better than before after their successful campaign this past season. They have a real starting center again in Zubac. And they are in an Eastern Conference that mostly looks wide open.
There is a lot to like about Indiana's outlook for next season, but as Facci said, Siakam and McConnell aren't getting any younger. And because the team is looking to win a title with them on the roster, there won't be a ton of other opportunities for it to happen in 2028 and beyond.
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