The Indiana Pacers are fully expected to re-sign Pascal Siakam. They will be offering him a full five-year max extension. It's hard to see him turning that down, especially with the kind of run that Indiana went on after acquiring him. He should be signing that as soon as he's legally allowed to.
With that in mind, the Pacers will be bringing their entire starting lineup back from a year ago. They still are looking to improve their team to make sure that they can make the final leap to make the NBA Finals. Signing a few of Siakam's ex-teammates might be a good way for them to do so.
There are three guys whom the Pacers should target in free agency to help get the team over the edge. One of them would have to take a pay-cut in order to paly for Indiana, but the other two should be affordable for Indiana. All three would be if Herb Simon is willing to spend some money.
The first player on this list is oft-injured but is still a great player when he's healthy. He's looking to score with a big payday too.
1. OG Anunoby
OG Anunoby was traded by the Raptors near the deadline, much like Siakam was. Anunoby went to the Knicks where he made an immediate impact. When he first got there and was healthy, he helped New York go on a 24-5 stretch in the regular season. His impact was instant.
Anunoby averaged 14.5 points per game on 49% shooting in the regular season while shooting 38% from three. He also averaged about 1.4 steals a game. When he's healthy, he is the perfect three-and-D player for any team out there who is a contender. It's why New York went out and got him.
The issue for Anunoby is that he simply can't stay healthy. He hasn't played more than 70 games in a season since his rookie year. He has played more than 50 just once in the past four years. We saw him get hurt again in the playoffs against the Pacers. He's just very fragile.
That injury history is the only reason why the Pacers have any hope of signing him at all in free agency. Anunoby loved Siakam as a teammate and played college at IU. He has Indiana ties. That injury history could drive down the amount of money he'll make.
If he would go for a four-year $80 million contract, the Pacers would barely be able to afford that. They could bring him in though. That would give them the defensive wing that they so desperately need to win an NBA championship. He's a good offensive player too.
The second player on this list who the Pacers might consider signing would also help on defense.