The Indiana Pacers have a roster in place that can compete for a title as soon as next season. Realistically, it may be in their best interest to keep as much of the team intact, bank on natural progression and chemistry, and look to do some damage instead of making another splash.
In a recent episode of the "Setting the Pace" podcast, Michael Facci mentioned that he believes the Pacers like their current roster, and they will probably keep it mostly as is, especially when factoring in the salary jumps of Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard. Indiana has avoided the luxury tax for two decades, and it will likely continue to do so moving forward.
"I feel like Indiana likes the roster that they have in place. You also have to factor in Jarace Walker's going to be jumping from $6.5 million to about $8.5 million. Ben Sheppard's going to be going from about $2.8 [million] to about $5 million. You do have some costs going up internally for this team. I think they would probably just kind of round it out around the edges ... I don't think they would be making a splash," Facci said.
The Pacers should focus on keeping the band together
Obviously, if a player like Nikola Jokic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is up for grabs, the Pacers should look into making something happen. Crazy things like this have happened before (it's barely been a year since the shocking Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade that I still can't really wrap my head around), so technically, it shouldn't be ruled out.
However, unless it's going to be an obvious, too-good-to-refuse trade, the Pacers should just keep their roster intact as much as possible.
The Pacers have had a lot of continuity over the past few years, and that's one of the biggest reasons they have been so successful. Everybody knows how to play alongside each other and buy into their role in an elite system. Plus, though we haven't seen it yet, there are reasons to be excited about what Ivica Zubac can bring to Indiana, especially once Tyrese Haliburton returns.
As they are currently constructed, the Pacers have what it takes to make it back to the NBA Finals next year. They have a very talented roster and a great coaching staff and front office. Additionally, they are in an Eastern Conference that still looks to be wide-open, and there is a chance they can land someone like Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or AJ Dybantsa in the draft.
As Facci mentioned, if anything, the Pacers should just round out their roster. Maybe they get a third-string center they like more than Micah Potter. Maybe they add a more established third-string point guard to the mix. Whatever it may be. But outside of that, they should keep things mostly the same and continue to bank on what has worked for them in the past.