Pacers Get Poor Final Offseason Grade Ahead of Training Camp

The Indiana Pacers received a poor final offseason grade ahead of training camp by NBA analyst Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report. 

Hughes gave the Pacers a C. 

Indiana opens the 2026-27 regular season on October 21 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pacers added three new players this offseason: Larry Nance Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr. and Braden Smith. 

After making those moves, here is the Pacers' projected 2026-27 rotation, via HoopsHype:

Starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac

Bench: TJ McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Kelly Oubre, Obi Toppin, Jay Huff, Braden Smith, Quenton Jackson, Kobe Brown, Jarace Walker, Larry Nance Jr., Jalen Slawson, Johnny Furphy

Indiana acquired Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers at last season's trade deadline. Zubac, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam will be the Pacers' "Big 3" in 2026-27. 

The Zubac trade did come at a high cost, though. The Pacers lost their first-round pick in the 2026 draft because of the Zubac deal.

The Pacers needed to land in the top four to keep their pick after trading it to the Clippers with protections for Zubac. The trade sent two of Indiana's first-round picks to the Clippers: one in 2029 and either this year's first if it fell outside the top four or a 2031 unprotected first-rounder if it did not.

Because the Washington Wizards moved up in the lottery, Indiana landed fifth, so the pick went to the Clippers instead.

The Pacers could have drafted AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson. Instead, they have to pray that Zubac plays like an All-Star this upcoming season alongside Siakam and Haliburton.

Without the Haliburton, the Pacers won only 19 games last season. However, Siakam played well. The former Toronto Raptors wing averaged 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game and made his fourth All-Star team.   

One of the top players in the NBA, Haliburton had an outstanding 2024-25 campaign for the Pacers. He averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks per game and made the All-NBA Third Team.

Haliburton is averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in a Pacers uniform. He signed a five-year, $244 million extension with the Pacers in July 2023.

The talented floor general will make $48,924,624 next season, $52,298,736 in 2027-28 and $55,672,848 in 2028-29, the final year of his deal.  

Haliburton has career averages of 17.5 points and 8.8 assists per game in the regular season and 17.9 points and 8.4 assists per game in the playoffs. The basketball world can't wait to see Hali play again. 

The Pacers may have won Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder had Haliburton not gotten hurt.

It was a cruel turn of events for Indiana. 

However, that's in the past and the Pacers are ready to shock the world again in 2026-27.