In a conference that has seen Jaylen Brown traded to a rival, LeBron James come over from the West, and Giannis Antetokounmpo create what may be the best defensive pairing in the league, the Indiana Pacers have signed Larry Nance Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr.
That's not going to get a lot of people excited.
However, while the context surrounding those moves certainly lowers expectations, there is no reason they shouldn't be praised in a vacuum.
In a summer where all the Pacers had to offer was minutes off the bench and around $20 million under the first apron, Indiana found one clear difference maker they can immediately insert into the rotation and a change of pace big man.
That's not bad.
When fans set expectations beyond reality, believing in the magic of basketball, it's easy to get drawn into a cycle of disappointment. However, the Pacers did the best they could within their means. Another move could be on the horizon, but, at this point, this is good enough.
Simultaneously, it is just good enough.
Continuity breeds complacency, but flair hides failures
The Pacers entered their gap year with a massive hole at center and a bench that was suddenly expected to be more than just good enough. They struggled with injuries and left it with a strength at center and a bench that is still overtasked.
There's something to be said for the Pacers refusing to make another aggressive move to bring in more talent, especially after their three most aggressive moves in recent history resulted in largely one-sided deals in their favor.
However, flash rarely works out. The Miami Heat are not seen as contenders despite acquiring a top-five player in the league. A trade that could be the second-most aggressive in Heat history, behind only the deal for Shaquille O'Neal, is cooled by a lack of depth.
What can you expect from a team just aiming for a competent bounce back? Does it make sense to go crazy with spending or trades before seeing a core that has played zero games together?
That's not exciting, neither for fans nor for pundits trying to get those same fans chomping at the bit.
But it does make sense.
The Kelly Oubre signing adds a seventh man off the bench. That's never a bad thing to add. The rest of the Pacers' growth will come from two factors:
Tyrese Haliburton's return and the health of the rotation
Every other avenue for improvement is hard to see as possible or worth pursuing. Beyond signing LeBron James, which would have been an incredible move for both the player and the team, there is no real free agent who would move the needle for Indiana.
No, the improvements will come internally. This offseason is a bet that they will materialize. If they don't, Indiana will be back to being a lottery team once again next year, without their pick to trade for an established talent. If they do, no one will be thinking of this past summer as a failure.
It's true that there's little to be excited about with two middling signings.
Luckily, the season will be defined by much, much more.
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