There’s no denying that, despite the good work they’ve done since, the biggest event of the Pacers’ summer was a disappointing one.
While the Pacers have done an admirable job getting up off the mat and putting together a respectable squad that will make an effort to compete in the East, the club’s haul in the George trade that will be held under the microscope for years to come.
Regardless of the circumstances of the deal that brought an end to the modern-day Pacers as we know them, the only thing that matters now is how the franchise rallies after sustaining the blow.
Key offseason losses:
The Pacers will be hard-pressed to replace the impact that George had on the team’s offense. Not only did the All-Star forward provide a consistent 20-plus points per game over the last few seasons — he was also a reliable late-game option that could single-handedly win games in both the regular season and playoffs.
While Jeff Teague didn’t exactly push the franchise to new heights during his one season with the club, his absence will be felt as well. Prior to Teague’s arrival in Indiana, the team leaned heavily on George Hill, so realistically the Pacers will face their first season in over half a decade without a reliable, proven NBA starter at the point.
Veteran C.J. Miles will ply his trade as a three-and-D specialist in Toronto this season, one of the subtle reminders that the Pacers team fans have grown familiar seeing battling in the postseason is a thing of the past. Miles averaged a pedestrian 10.7 points per game for the squad last season, but had been a part of the club’s rotation for three years.
After falling out of favor in Indiana, Ellis ended up off the team altogether. Not long ago the guard was a reliable offensive spark plug. This summer, however, given the abundance of other issues Indiana’s front office had to worry about, the final two years of Ellis’ contract – roughly $23MM through 2018/19 – proved too much to bear and he was waived and stretched.
Key offseason additions:
The Pacers apparently coveted Oladipo for years. Now they finally have him. It’ll be interesting to see what the former second overall pick is capable of when given the freedom to lead another offense. While it’s easy to get excited about the 25-year-old combo guard’s potential in Indiana, it’s worth noting that his production was rather modest during his three-year stay in Orlando.
It was hard for Sabonis to get consistent minutes in Oklahoma City’s crowded frontcourt, but he arrives in Indiana as a skilled young big man with an excellent pedigree. Although he may remain a reserve throughout the 2017/18 campaign, it’s likely he’ll see more meaningful minutes at the four with just Thaddeus Young ahead of him.
The Pacers needed a point guard after losing Teague via free agency and came up with a more than serviceable duo. Indiana gets the best of both worlds in established career reserve Darren Collison – a veteran who doesn’t need to start, but has frequently thrived when given the opportunity to do so – and Cory Joseph, a high-upside player that went underutilized in Toronto. Collison will be able to help contribute to a deceptively deep team out of the gates, while Joseph should serve as a potential building block heading forward.
The Wizards liberated Bojan Bogdanovic from the Nets last season and he proved capable of elevating his game while playing more meaningful minutes in Washington. This year he’ll bolster Indiana’s perimeter offense, an area particularly hard hit by George’s exit.
Outlook for 2017/18:
Perhaps the Pacers were overly optimistic about the idea of George remaining in Indiana, because they certainly didn’t do themselves any favors by hesitating to trade him while his value was at its highest last season.
Indiana’s front office suffered the biggest blow a small market team could suffer this summer and then mishandled the events that followed. What they’ve done since, however, has been nothing short of impressive.
Pritchard and company deserve credit – and fan support – after quickly patching together a decent lineup of solid assets when other teams may have been inclined to drift to the bottom of the standings and pursue a top draft pick. This year, sans George, Indiana could still compete for the East’s eighth seed.
Will an Oladipo- and Bogdanovic-led offense contend with the Cavaliers in 2018? No, but it shows grit and pride that won’t be wasted on the next great player to emerge in Indiana – especially if that player has been there, waiting for his opportunity all along.
The Myles Turner Era has begun.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this post.
