The Indiana Pacers are starting to bring players in for pre-draft workouts. Over the last week or so, they have started bringing in guys. Since their season is over and they are not in the NBA Finals. They can bring guys in to evaluate the possibility of drafting them.
Of course, the Pacers won't have a first-round pick in this year's Draft. They traded both of the first-round picks that they had this year to the Toronto Raptors in order to acquire Pascal Siakam. They also gave up a 2026 first-round pick as well as Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora.
Because of that trade, the Pacers only have second-round draft picks. They have three of them though, owning the 36th, 50th, and 51st pick. It would be surprising to see them keep all of those picks or to sign all of those prospects if they do in fact make those picks. They had some players in Wednesday for a workout though, including a fan-favorite from the Final Four.
The Pacers bring in a fan-favorite from the Final Four for a pre-draft workout
The Pacers have brought in D.J. Burns as one of the five players that they brought in for a pre-draft workout on Thursday. If you remember, he was a fan-favorite player while he helped lead NC State to the Final Four this past season on what was a surprise run.
Burns showed deft skills down low despite a large physique. He has excellent footwork and is a good passer in the post. How he would fit in with this current Pacers team is unclear considering he only averaged four rebounds a game while he was in college last year.
Burns was a lot of fun to watch during the NCAA Tournament, but it's highly doubtful that the Pacers actually draft him with one of their three second-round picks. They need role players who can fit in around the edges to help them make that final push to the NBA Finals.
The NBA Draft is going to take place on both June 26th and June 27th this year, marking the first time it's split into two days.