The One Thing the Pacers Will Regret About This Offseason

All in all, the Indiana Pacers had a pretty solid offseason considering the hand they were dealt.

They had no first-round draft pick. Had limited money to spend in free agency. No tradable contracts to land a better wing without parting with multiple key depth pieces. And no starting spot to offer in free agency.

But despite all of that, they found a way to add a significant piece to their core in Kelly Oubre Jr. Indiana desperately needed to address their backup wing spot and they did so with this move. However, you could argue that they should have swung bigger and made a trade for a more talented wing.

With the Eastern Conference adding multiple wings from the Western Conference -- specifically LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard -- adding an up-and-down defender to help with the bench depth is a good, but not great move. The price Indiana was able to sign Oubre to was a win for the franchise and he will help this team in his role.

The other major free agency move the Pacers made was waiving Micah Potter -- the 6-foot-9 center who shot 42.3% from three last season -- so they could sign veteran Larry Nance Jr. to a veteran's minimum.

By doing this move Indiana saved themselves around $400K, but they parted ways with someone they saw fit well into their offensive system last season while electing to bring in a player who struggled to stay healthy.

This to me will be the biggest regret of the Pacers offseason: signing Larry Nance Jr. and not addressing the center depth position with a better player.

Chad Buchanan told me in an interview on Setting the Pace, that Nance Jr. sought the Pacers out as a team he wanted to sign with and also mentioned that he is extremely motivated to have a bounce-back season. In that same conversation, Buchanan said that Huff and Nance would be competing for the backup five spot, but also mentioned that Toppin would spend time there.

Nance is shorter in height for a backup center as he is only 6-feet and 6-inches tall. He has been a productive role player throughout his career, but with a league that is trending bigger targeting a center that has more size would have made more sense for how they built this team.

Early reports suggested that the Pacers were targeting Thomas Bryant in free agency. Bryant was a fan-favorite addition in the 2024-25 season and had a breakout performance in Indiana's Game 6 victory against the New York Knicks to clinch the Eastern Conference Finals.

In back-to-back off-season's the Pacers elected to bring in James Wiseman versus striking a deal with Jalen Smith in 2024, and Bryant in 2025. Wiseman ended up tearing his Achilles in game one of the 2024-25 season, and returned the following season to play a total of 58 minutes in four games before being waived (twice).

The Pacers felt that they had better options in free agency than what was already on their roster, and ultimately had buyer's remorse. Wiseman never panned out, and Isaiah Jackson was never the same after tearing his Achilles early into the 2024-25 season.

While I don't think Potter is as talented as Smith, Bryant, and Jackson, you can make the case that he is a better fit than Nance. If Ivica Zubac goes down with an injury, the Pacers only have one other true center on the roster in Jay Huff and he's proven throughout his career that his a depth piece center with potential to play as an every game rotational piece.

Feb 19, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) reacts after a play during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If you surveyed the center market during free agency there weren't many candidates out there to upgrade from Potter. While I don't disagree that Indiana needed to improve from Potter as their third-string center, I question whether Nance was the right move.

Indiana has regretted moving on from backup centers in the past and I won't be surprised if that is the case again. Nance Jr. was once a better player than Potter, but he's only played in 69 games over the last two seasons. The durability, lack of size, and below-average three-point shooting has me concerned.

Nance has a lot to prove this season after a few shaky stints in Atlanta and Cleveland. His locker room presence has been regarded as one of the best in the league but the Pacers believe he still has plenty left in the tank to provide on the court. Now we wait and see.

The Pacers might not regret moving on from Potter for Nance, but they will regret that they didn't address adding more talent to their center room.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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