5 Former Pacers who are still available in free agency
The Indiana Pacers had a relatively quiet offseason this summer, especially pertaining to external additions. However, Pacers fans should still be happy with the moves they made. The Pacers re-signed key players Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin, extended Andrew Nembhard's contract, and drafted Johnny Furphy in the second round of the 2024 Draft.
While their offseason has mostly been good so far, Indiana did lose some players in free agency. Most notably, big man Jalen Smith, who spent parts of the last three seasons with the Pacers, joined the Chicago Bulls.
Smith's departure is a good way to think about some of the other Pacers players of the past and see how their careers have fared since leaving the team. Currently, there are plenty of former Pacers players who are still available in free agency over a month into the offseason.
With the Pacers roster essentially set in stone for next season, a reunion is not really in the cards for any of these players. Still, it is worth taking a deep dive and look at five former Pacers players still looking for a home for the 2024-25 season.
5. Doug McDermott
Doug McDermott is fresh off his second stint with the Pacers. Initially, "Dougie McBuckets" signed with the Pacers in 2018 and spent three years with the team before getting shipped to the San Antonio Spurs. Earlier this year, the Pacers re-acquired McDermott as part of the three-team trade that sent Buddy Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers.
In his return to Indiana, McDermott only appeared in 18 regular season games, averaging 4.2 points and 11.3 minutes. This was a much less productive stint for McDermott compared to the last time he was with the Pacers, when he averaged 10.3 points on 41.1 3FG% and 20.4 minutes per game over three seasons.
The 10-year veteran is still a free agent and may remain one for a while. No reports or updates about teams being interested in McDermott have surfaced. Regardless, McDermott was a fun player to root for with the Pacers. Hopefully for the Creighton alum, this is not the last we have seen of him in the NBA.