Pacers Brutally Slammed for Offseason Moves

Jan 30, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, left, center Myles Turner, middle, and president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, right, share a laugh during an Indiana Pacers press conference at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers' front office has been shredded for its offseason decision making so far.

Indiana couldn't account for two-time All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton's devastating Achilles tendon tear.

The 6-foot-5 Iowa State product injured his foot in an eventual Game 7 NBA Finals heartbreaker against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and has already been ruled out for the entire 2025-26 season.

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ESPN insider Kevin Pelton has given Indiana team president Kevin Pritchard and his cohort a paltry D grade as part of a full appraisal of all 30 NBA squads' summers.

The NBA’s worst graded offseasons, per @kpelton (https://t.co/TjDefBWH7w):

Pelicans: F
Pacers: D
Kings: D+
Bulls: C-
Nets: C-
Raptors: C-
Warriors: Incomplete pic.twitter.com/lamVWGACJ4

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 28, 2025

"It's possible we'll look back and think the Pacers were better off not paying Myles Turner through his mid-30s, but there are no banners for fiscal responsibility and Indiana lost a key piece to a starting five that relied more on fit than sheer talent," Pelton writes.

A 10-year Pacer, Turner had been Indiana's longest-lasting player prior to his decision to depart for the Milwaukee Bucks on a four-season, $108.9 million deal. Pritchard claimed that the Pacers and Turner's representatives had been negotiating on a new agreement "in good faith," and that Turner's exit came as a surprise.

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But one wonders, when reading between the tea leaves, if Indiana had began its negotiations with too cost-effective a number, designed to avoid the league's punitive luxury tax. Indiana owner Herb Simon, who's worth an estimated $4.7 billion according to Forbes, hasn't paid into the luxury tax in 21 years.

"The Pacers have no clear replacement for Turner. Although I liked taking a flier on Jay Huff, who has a similar skill set, expecting him to start after falling out of Memphis' playoff rotation is unrealistic," Pelton adds. "Indiana's other traditional centers -- Tony Bradley, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman -- are also career backups."

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For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.