Why the Indiana Pacers Are a Strong Blueprint for the Brooklyn Nets' Rebuild

The Indiana Pacers' rebuild offers a smart, sustainable model the Brooklyn Nets could emulate.

Mar 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) blocks a shot from Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Ever since committing to a complete overhaul, the Brooklyn Nets and GM Sean Marks' strategy has been compared to that of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sam Presti. The blueprint is simple: acquire as much draft capital as possible, while adding high-ceiling young talent in the process. It's worked out fairly well for the Thunder, who sit just one win away from their first Western Conference Finals appearance since the 2015-16 season.

But there's another young team that's just four wins away from representing their conference in the 2025 NBA Finals, and they may present an even better (and more realistic) blueprint than OKC—that being the Indiana Pacers.

There are many parallels between the Pacers and Thunder. Each of their star players are elite guards acquired through trading a star to a playoff-hungry franchise (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George, Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis). Both teams have highly-skilled offensive big men, but Indiana's approach differs slightly from OKC's.

While Haliburton has been fantastic this postseason, he's not a perennial MVP candidate like Gilgeous-Alexander. Yes, Haliburton possesses the ability to command the offense entirely on his own in certain situations, but the supporting cast Indiana has built deserves a large chunk of the praise.

With the Nets' current roster, Cam Thomas could play Haliburton's role if he continues to develop his playmaking ability. Nic Claxton is more of a defensive-minded big, but Brooklyn could bring in a Myles Turner-Chet Holmgren-level scoring center with the eighth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Either Derik Queen II or Khaman Maluach would fill that role.

Guys like Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith—three vital members of the Pacers' rotation—are the types of players Brooklyn should search for. Nembhard and Nesmith have been developed in-house, and Siakam was added at last year's trade deadline to provide some much-needed championship-level experience.

Now, with Jordi Fernandez in place as the Nets' head coach, filling the Nembhard and Nesmith roles shouldn't pose much of a challenge, given his ability to develop young players. However, bringing in a Siakam-level player could be more difficult. Luckily for Brooklyn, Fernandez and Marks have plenty of flexibility when it comes to future assets, allowing them to chase a veteran star for the young core to rally around.

The Pacers' sudden success is impressive, and something all rebuilding teams should start paying closer attention to.

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