The Indiana Pacers are likely headed for a boring free agency period this summer. As it stands, they don't have the money or room to make any big changes to the team in free agency, especially if they get their first-round pick back (which they will if it falls in the 1-4 range).
Plus, Indiana is set to have just one unrestricted free agent this offseason (Kobe Brown; Micah Potter has a team option, and Jalen Slawson is set to hit restricted free agency). There likely won't be a lot of roster turnover, and that's not a bad thing.
In a recent episode of the "Locked On Pacers" podcast, Tony East mentioned that the team doesn't have any "specific needs," which, paired with their financial situation, likely means they won't add to many players, if any, in free agency.
"If the Pacers keep their pick, regardless of number, this will be a very, very boring free agency period for them unless they're gonna spend way more money than they've ever spent before on their basketball team and pay a bunch of tax to do it. ... If they keep their pick, free agency will be very boring because they would have almost no money to spend, because they don't have a specific need. They might have almost zero new players," East said.
Pacers are unlikely to have busy free agency period this offseason
Even if the Pacers don't make a single addition to their roster this summer, they're going to be in a good spot. With Tyrese Haliburton set to come back from his Achilles injury, they will be in a good position to re-establish themselves as legitimate title contenders next season and make some real noise.
However, their depth may become a problem. Bennedict Mathurin is now a part of the Los Angeles Clippers. Johnny Furphy had his season cut short due to an ACL injury. Jarace Walker could be on the move this summer for financial reasons. And there are a handful of other players Indiana might move on from in the offseason.
Of course, drafting someone like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, or Caleb Wilson will be a huge help, but it still limits their possibilities of bolstering their roster.
The Pacers have a lot to look forward to next season, and there are reasons to believe they will have a chance to compete for a championship once again. Just don't expect too many changes from now until the beginning of the new campaign.
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