3 moves the Indiana Pacers need to make in the 2024 offseason
By Ryan Stano
It's rare that a team gets a title window in the NBA. With how talented the league is now, there are teams all over the league that think they have a legitimate shot to win it all. The Indiana Pacers are one of those teams after making the Eastern Conference Finals.
An argument could be made that the Pacers played the Celtics tougher than the Mavericks did in the NBA Finals despite getting swept. They clearly have the talent in place to build off of this season. That doesn't mean that they don't have to make moves in order to improve though.
Indiana has a great foundation with Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Now that Siakam has re-signed, they can go about their business to figure out who best complements those two pieces. Myles Turner is a core player as well. Everyone else could be a potential trade piece.
If the Pacers want to be a true championship contender next season, they have three moves that they need to make. The first move has to deal with keeping one of their own not just for next season, but for the next few seasons as well.
1. Give T.J. McConnell an extension
T.J. McConnell was perhaps the most important bench player in the entire NBA last season. He was masterful, especially after the All-Star break. Once he knew he was getting consistent minutes, he made the most of them. He killed both the Knicks and the Celtics in the playoffs too.
Next season, his contract isn't fully guaranteed. The Pacers should do that and then some. They need to give him a contract extension as well. That's something that they reportedly are working on right now. That's good news because he's too valuable to let walk after next season.
Indiana should give him a three-year deal worth something close to $30 million. He's earned that money after a career year. While I worry about how his game will age, his leadership is invaluable to a young team. That contract is for more than just performance on the court.
Bringing McConnell back would give the Pacers their floor general for the bench unit back. They can fill out the rest of the bench after that to see if they can make a unit that was the highest-scoring in the league even better.
The second move they should make is to make a trade for a starter.