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Can the Pacers afford to keep the team they have and not make a move?

The Pacers have a young team that is growing together. They already made the Eastern Conference Finals together. Can they afford to not make a move and let this group continue to grow?

By Ryan Stano

May 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) passes the ball to center Myles Turner (33) against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals in the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) passes the ball to center Myles Turner (33) against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals in the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
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The Pacers are in a great spot. They are a young team that has already overachieved after getting to the Eastern Conference Finals. This year gave them some valuable playoff experience that they didn't have before. Now, they can grow and become better from that experience.

So how much growing can this unit do? The bench was phenomenal all season long. The starting lineup was much better once Pascal Siakam was brought in. Now, management has to make a decision. Should they let this group continue to grow together and leave it intact? Or should they go out and actively make trades and sign free agents?

There are pros and cons to both. Let's start with leaving the team intact. If they leave the Pacers alone, they can keep getting chemistry together. That chemistry could lead them to getting the best version of this team together and that could be enough to get over the hump.

The Pacers can't afford to leave this team alone and not make any moves

If we're looking at things realistically, they can't afford not to make some moves. Whether that's trading T.J. McConnell or Jarace Walker for another wing, or maybe both, that needs to happen. Aaron Nesmith is a really good player, but his best role isn't as a starting wing.

They have to figure out which assets they want to cash in and how much of their cap space they want to use. They should keep the bulk of this team together, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't make necessary moves to improve the ceiling of this team. The ceiling clearly isn't high enough to win a title.

Kevin Pritchard typically does a pretty good job of knowing when it's time to keep a team together and when to try to add pieces. I think he and the rest of the decision-makers will realize that they only have a certain window of time to improve a title-contending team.

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This is going to be the most critical offseason the Pacers have had in a decade. The decisions they make this summer will determine how long this title window stays open.

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