The Indiana Pacers competed in the most tightly contested first-round sweep in NBA history against the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. Indiana continued the trend of looking like a capable team that consistently falls short when it matters the most. After another disappointing year, Larry Bird stepped down as the president of the Pacers. Kevin Pritchard will take over the reigns after serving as a scout and consultant within the organization. Pritchard will have some tough decisions to make throughout what should be a busy offseason for Indiana. Here is a look at the Pacers offseason plan.
3 Things The Pacers Have To Work On
1. Paul George Situation
Indiana’s best player was clearly not happy when management left him out of the loop when it came to their trade deadline moves. George is under contract with the Pacers for one more season and has a player option for 2018-19. However, if Indiana feels George is likely to leave town following next season, they might entertain his value on the trade market.
George is now 27 years old and despite his ability, the Pacers window to win with him as their best player is slowly closing. The first and most important decision for Indiana will be choosing whether or not George will be a part of the team’s future.
2. Find Help For The Core
If the Pacers decide to keep George then they will need to go all-in for the opportunity to win now. George, Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young make up an intriguing core group but Indiana must do a better job of finding help for them. Bird was adamant that the Pacers first round pick was in play at the trade deadline so management could choose to go the trade route if they can’t convince free agents to join the team. Gordon Hayward is an Indianapolis native that could be interested in joining the teams as a free agent. However, if that doesn’t work out then the Pacers might want to consider chasing another star free agent like Paul Millsap or going the trade route to acquire some top talent.
3. Find A Point Guard
Jeff Teague averaged 17.0 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds in his first season with Indiana. Teague is set to become an unrestricted free agent, so the Pacers will have to make a decision. If Indiana wants to bring back Teague, then they have to be willing to pay him. The question is what is that number?
When you take a look at what some of the best free agent point guards are getting, that number could be in the $20-$25 million range. Mike Conley Jr. is making about $30 million a year and Kyle Lowry could be in that vicinity soon. So where does that leave Teague? More importantly, do the Pacers want to commit that type of money to him?
If the Pacers decide to go in a different direction, they will need to be aggressive in finding a capable replacement at the position. Indiana’s window to win with George as their franchise player will continue to close if they decide they want to try to win with him next year. The Pacers need to surround him with star talent and that is particularly true when it comes to solidifying the point guard position.
Key Free Agents
Teague is Indiana’s biggest concern after he served as their second-best player behind George last season. The Pacers will likely want to bring Teague back but they will have to be willing to pay the price. Rodney Stuckey and Aaron Brooks will both come off the books and it’s hard to imagine Indiana being too aggressive in terms of trying to bring those two back. Remember, the Pacers still have Monta Ellis, so they won’t necessarily need either Stuckey or Brooks.
The focus for the Pacers has to be on upgrading in free agency. The good news is that as of right now, they only have about $69 million on the books in terms of projected salary. That means they’ll have some room to maneuver if they want to get George some help and try to compete in what many people believe will be his final season with the Pacers.
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