Tyrese Haliburton’s path back to the NBA Finals could get a lot tougher depending on what LeBron James does next.
Haliburton already showed he can carry the Indiana Pacers deep, leading them to the 2025 NBA Finals. That alone gives Indy a real foundation.
But the Eastern Conference has changed fast this summer, and the margin for error is shrinking. If James lands with an East team, the Pacers’ climb gets steeper in a hurry.
James has spent most of the last decade with the Los Angeles Lakers, and even at 41, he’s still producing at an All-Star level. The rumors have him linked to a few different teams, but the Eastern Conference possibilities that stand out are the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Either move would reshape the conference picture.
If James ended up in Philadelphia, he’d be joining Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid. That group would instantly put the Sixers in the thick of the title conversation.
Cleveland would be just as dangerous. A James reunion there would pair him with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, giving the Cavaliers a legitimate shot to reach the NBA Finals.
Indiana, by contrast, is working with a roster that still looks a lot like the one that made its Finals run a couple of years ago. Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and others remain in place.
The biggest personnel change has come at center. Myles Turner left in free agency last summer, and the Pacers brought in Ivica Zubac at this year’s trade deadline.
Still, the East keeps loading up. Kawhi Leonard is in the East now.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a better situation. Brown is in Philly.
The New York Knicks are NBA Champions. And if LeBron James decides to join that mix, Haliburton and the Pacers will have even more ground to cover.
In Other News...
Pacers Suddenly Face A Real DeMar DeRozan Dilemma
DeMar DeRozans sudden availability after Sacramento waived him on July 6 has created a fresh layer of offseason intrigue for teams looking for a proven scorer on a short-term deal, and Indiana is right there in the conversation. The Pacers have been linked to the idea of bringing in the veteran wing on a minimum salary, which would give them another established creator without a long-term commitment, while also opening the door to a reunion with Pascal Siakam.
The fit, though, is not as simple as the name value suggests. Indiana does not have cap space at the moment, so it would need to clear room to make a move work, and adding DeRozan would likely force a tough roster decision elsewhere. For a team trying to balance present-day competitiveness with its younger pieces, the question is whether a player of DeRozans profile is worth the squeeze if it means reshaping the back end of the roster to get him in the building. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Talent Is Turning Heads On The International Stage
Ivica Zubac has been a steady presence for Croatia, and his latest outing in a win over Israel only added to that reputation. The former Pacers center was efficient around the rim, controlled the glass and helped set the tone in a game Croatia handled well, while Andrew Nembhard continued to show the kind of poise Canada has come to expect from him in its victory over Jamaica.
There was more Pacers-adjacent production elsewhere on the international stage, too, with Ethan Thompson giving Puerto Rico a lift in its win over the Bahamas. For Indiana fans, it is another reminder that several familiar names are getting meaningful reps in high-leverage settings, and the broader question is how much of that momentum carries back once the international window closes. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Avoided The Haliburton Siakam Cap Squeeze Haunting Contenders
The Pacers have quietly put themselves in a far better place than a lot of contenders when it comes to the salary-cap squeeze that can turn a good roster into a brittle one. Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam are already the center of Indianas present and future, but their combined cap hit is still manageable, leaving the team with room to breathe instead of immediately forcing hard choices around the edges of the roster.
That matters because the league keeps offering reminders of how quickly things can get tight once a pair of stars starts eating up too much of the payroll. Clevelands recent Donovan Mitchell extension and Bostons decision to move Jaylen Brown both underscore the risk, while Indiana has another layer of protection built in since the real pressure from those deals does not arrive until 2028-29. The Pacers may still have to navigate what Siakam looks like later in the contract, but for now they have avoided the kind of cap trap that haunts so many hopefuls. [Read more 🡒]