Some of the best free-agent signings in recent Pacers history

3. Bruce Brown

An undersized 6'4'' small forward typically doesn't garner much notoriety. However, when a fifth-year player wins a championship and becomes a free agent, their agent's phone begins to ring a lot more. This was the case for Brown just last summer.

Fresh off the heels of winning a ring with the Denver Nuggets, the wing player came to the Indiana Pacers on a two-year deal worth $45 million. During the 2022-2023 season, Brown had his highest scoring average (11.5) per game that season. He would best that in his only campaign with Indiana (12.1) before being traded.

Brown was one of the main parts that was shipped to the Toronto Raptors to bring Pascal Siakam, another former NBA Champion, to the Pacers. Last season was the only time in his career that he shot above 80% from the charity stripe, as well.

We often don't think about a free-agent signing being a key transaction to a franchise based on their rate of return in a potential trade. Yet, that's the value Brown also brought to the Pacers.

Siakam started all 41 games he played in for Indiana. While tying his best field goal percentage of his career (54.9%), the power forward from Cameroon averaged 21.3 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. He posted similar numbers in the playoffs for the Pacers which led them to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

Thus, the Brown signing was a lucrative pick in Pacers' history. Siakam has since been retained this summer with a four-year deal at $189.5 million. He should be a Pacer for quite a few more seasons alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner.