Pacers Offseason Moves Ranked Among NBA’s Worst By Insider

This insider did not like what the Pacers did this offseason one bit.

Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) and forward Chet Holmgren (7) in the second quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers didn't have a very active offseason. They only brought one guy in from outside the team, trading for center Jay Huff. That move was necessary after Myles Turner left for Milwaukee.

Turner signed a four-year deal worth $108.9 million in order to play for the Milwaukee Bucks. Other than Turner's departure and Huff coming in, the Pacers didn't do much this summer.

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Indiana opted to keep the core of the team that made the NBA Finals together. That was a move that one NBA insider did not like, and he gave them a poor offseason grade.

NBA Insider hates the moves the Indiana Pacers made during the offseason

According to David Aldridge of The Athletic, the Pacers did not make the right moves this offseason. In fact, he ranked their offseason as the third worst in the entire NBA.

Aldridge essentially blames the Tyrese Haliburton injury as the biggest reason for them not to make many moves this summer.

"The Pacers did everything a mid-market team has to do to build a title contender — methodically, carefully, sticking with their coach and management team, waiting for the right moment to strike with a bold move – and had it pay off. But Indy got hit with a two-by-four with Tyrese Haliburton’s horrific Achilles tear in the first quarter of Game 7 of the finals," Aldridge writes.

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The Pacers are not looked at as a contender next season because of the Haliburton injury. With him out for all of next season, no one is giving them a second look at making the Finals again.

The Indiana Pacers are not viewed as having a chance to compete for a title next season

Aldridge gives Indiana no chance of making a repeat trip to the Finals next season.

"That uncertainty shook ownership’s commitment to do whatever it took to keep Turner; without Haliburton, who’s likely to miss most if not all of the 2025-26 season, the Pacers have little chance of competing at the top of the East," Aldridge adds. "So going deep into the luxury tax no longer made sense. Just a brutal turn."

Everyone is counting the Pacers out for next season. Indiana loves the doubt, because that's when they end up playing the best. No one thought they'd make the Finals last season, either.

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