The Indiana Pacers' biggest needs this offseason were put on notice by NBA analyst Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report. Bailey believes the Pacers need time, frontcourt depth and a bench scorer.
What happened?
The Pacers had the league's second-worst record this season at 19-63. Tyrese Haliburton missed the season recovering from his Achilles tear.
He will return to the lineup next season, so Indiana will be a playoff team again, but it hurts that the franchise won't get one of the top college players.
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-29 | Milwaukee Bucks | 119-118 |
Why it matters for Indiana Pacers
As it stands now, the Pacers are narrowly below the luxury tax line of $201 million in 2026-27 salary, which means they have access to the $15.1 midlevel exception.
Nine Pacers players are eligible for extensions this offseason and the unrestricted free agency class isn't that deep.
What comes next?
With that said, Indiana's roster will look very similar next season unless LeBron James shocks the world and signs with the Pacers.
James is the biggest unrestricted free agent this summer.
The Pacers could have drafted AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson.
Instead, they have to pray that Ivica Zubac plays like an All-Star next season alongside Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton.
Zubac played in just five games with Indiana, averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest while shooting 47.2% from the field and 80.% from the free-throw line.
Recent form: 4W-0D-1L (WWLWW, most recent first); on a 2-game winning run. The Pacers had a recent winning streak and are looking to build on that momentum.
Ivica Zubac has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers and Pacers.
He enters next season with career averages of 10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Tyrese Haliburton said on Amazon Prime, 'I mean, it was a coin toss. I mean, the way I'm looking at the last 12 months for me, dating back from June, I didn't think we were really due any luck.'
