The Indiana Pacers exceeded expectations this year. No one expected them to be in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yet, they got there to cap off a great year that was ahead of schedule. They did this after making the In-Season Tournament Finals as well.
Indiana has done an excellent job getting ahead of their rebuild schedule. They were expected to make the playoffs this year, but no one expected them to be one of the final four teams left standing. They really made a big leap for how young they are, and that will help them in future seasons.
Now, hard decisions have to be made. It's going to be a really tough offseason for the Pacers. They have a lot of tough decisions to make with their finances that are all complicated by the fact that Tyrese Haliburton has his supermax extension kicking in next season.
Because of that, the Pacers are going to have to let some really good players go in free agency. They're over the cap as it is and they're going to give a max contract to Pascal Siakam. With that, we give you a list of three players who definitely won't be back next season, starting with a key bench guy.
1. Obi Toppin
Obi Toppin was brought into Indiana for almost no cost. They traded a second-round pick to the Knicks for him. He started for the first half of the season before Siakam was brought in. When he was moved to the bench, he became one of the most effective bench scorers in the league.
Toppin averaged 10.3 points on 57% shooting, including 40% from three. He also had 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals. All of those numbers are career highs for him. In the playoffs, he scored 10.9 points per game on 54% shooting and shot 36% from three.
It's hard for a player to be as effective as Toppin was on offense and not be brought back. The issue is his defense. He's such a bad defender. There were so many times in the playoffs that he would just turn his head and let his guy go by him for a back-door cut that led to a bucket.
Toppin is a free agent this Summer and he's looking to get paid. He has a $20 million cap hold right now. The Pacers certainly wouldn't sign him to a number that large, but no one likely will. Still, he's going to want more money than the Pacers are going to be willing to offer him.
Indiana also already has his replacement. They drafted Jarace Walker in the first round last year and he's going to need to get some playing time. His defensive ceiling is also much higher than Toppin's, and he's a cheaper option. Toppin will likely head elsewhere after an incredibly productive season with Indiana.
The next player on this list hardly played for the Pacers at all this season.
2. Doug McDermott
When the Pacers traded Buddy Hield to Philadelphia, it was more about helping him than getting someone good back. It was thought that they were potentially clearing a spot in the rotation for Walker to get minutes. Instead, they brought in Doug McDermott.
McDermott did next to nothing in his second stint with Indiana. He played the fewest minutes of his career since his rookie season and just played 18 games in the regular season. The only real minutes he played in the playoffs were in the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals when Tyrese Haliburton was out.
Dougie McBuckets had just 4.2 points per game in the regular season and just 1.3 points in the postseason. What's worse is that he was brought in as a three-point shooter and he couldn't make threes. Once he was brought in, he shot just 32% from deep.
McDermott is a free agent this Summer and is 32 years old. He has been a defensive liability his entire career and struggled to shoot from three. I don't see any scenario in which the Pacers bring him back next season. He was a fringe rotation guy anyway.
Instead, the Pacers will likely use that spot to sign a minimum guy to keep their cap number as low as possible. Perhaps they convert Oscar Tshiebwe into a full-time salary next year instead. Lord knows this team needs as many guys who can rebound as they can get.
Our last player on this list isn't a guy who makes an impact on the court but is more of a locker-room presence.
3. James Johnson
As a young team, the Pacers needed a veteran guy in the locker room who has played in some big games. They needed a guy who can help show them what it means to be a professional. That's why they signed James Johnson again for this past season.
Johnson was waived during the season at one point because they needed a roster spot for a trade made. Then they brought him right back. Despite Johnson not playing a lot on the court, he is an enforcer. If anyone messes with this team, he's the tough guy that has to be contended with.
Now that the season is over, he likely won't be re-signed next season. He's 37 years old and obviously doesn't play a bunch. The good news is that if the Pacers wanted to bring him back, they can. He's cheap and would be a veteran minimum guy. But they could opt to go with a different veteran who can actually help them on the court.
Johnson has played in just 27 games in the past two seasons for Indiana. His leadership is something that means more to the Pacers than his on-court production. If they do decide to bring him back, it wouldn't be until late in free agency once all of their other work is done.
I wouldn't be totally shocked if they brought him back, but he might opt to retire. He's not playing anymore and perhaps he wants to do something else with his life at this point. Of the guys on this list, he has the most chance to be brought back though.
it's time for Walker to get more minutes and for the Indiana Pacers to cut some costs around Siakam. Parting with these three guys helps that.