Entering the 2026-27 season, the Indiana Pacers look like a team with real bounce-back potential, but they’re not sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference pecking order just yet.
That’s the backdrop after a brutal 2025-26 campaign that saw Indiana fall all the way from the NBA Finals to just 19 wins. The biggest reason was obvious: star guard Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire season because of injury. Without him, the Pacers never found the same rhythm or magic they had the year before.
Now Haliburton is healthy again, and that changes everything. Indiana also worked around him this offseason, making additions that include center Ivica Zubac and forward Kelly Oubre Jr., among others. Pascal Siakam is back too, giving Haliburton the co-star this roster needs if it’s going to get back on track.
Even so, the East has moved while Haliburton was sidelined, and the Pacers may have to climb a tougher ladder this time around. If Indiana is healthy, the team currently slots in as the fourth-best club in the conference, behind the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks are the defending champions, so they remain the team everyone is chasing until someone knocks them off. That also keeps the Pacers-Knicks matchup on the radar as one of the more intriguing pairings in the East.
Philadelphia made noise this offseason by adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, along with other depth pieces. That makes the 76ers look dangerous on paper, though health will still loom large for them.
Cleveland, meanwhile, brings back Donovan Mitchell and James Harden as the centerpieces, and the addition of star defensive forward Peyton Watson could make the Cavaliers even more difficult to handle.
Indiana isn’t going to back down from any of those teams. But with Haliburton returning after such a long absence, there’s still a question of how quickly the Pacers can get back to their best.
If they stay healthy, they should be right back in the mix to represent the East in the NBA Finals. After last season’s collapse, this group appears to have plenty of motivation, and that edge could power another deep run.
In Other News...
Pacers Gamble On From Myles Turner Looks Smarter Than Ever
When Indiana let Myles Turner walk, it was a franchise-shaping decision, the kind that invites immediate second-guessing. Turner landed with the Bucks on a four-year deal worth $108.9 million, while the Pacers moved on by trading for Ivica Zubac and positioning themselves for the 2026-27 season with bigger goals in mind. It was a clear bet on reshaping the roster rather than trying to keep the old core intact.
Early signs have only added to the debate, because Turners first season in Milwaukee produced his lowest statistical averages since his rookie year. For Indiana, that doesnt automatically make the choice look right or wrong, but it does sharpen the context around what comes next. The Pacers wanted flexibility and a path toward a title run, and now the question is whether the pivot away from Turner ends up being the move that gives them the ceiling they were chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Fans Can Already See Milwaukees Myles Turner Problem
Myles Turners exit from Indianapolis was always going to linger, but the timing has made the comparison even easier for Pacers fans to spot. Indiana moved on from its longest-tenured player by turning to Ivica Zubac on a more favorable contract, while Turner landed in Milwaukee carrying the kind of deal that tends to invite scrutiny the moment the results wobble.
For the Pacers, the bigger takeaway is not just that they replaced Turner, but that they did it without inheriting the same financial baggage. Turner still brings shot-blocking and a recognizable skill set, but the questions around his overall defensive impact and efficiency have followed him into Bucks conversations, and that makes his contract look even heavier from a distance. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Zubac Trade Suddenly Looks Different Than Fans Remember
When the Pacers struck the deal for Ivica Zubac, the trade package looked as steep as any recent move in the league. Indiana sent out multiple assets, including two first-round picks and players Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, in a swap that was meant to reshape the frontcourt and give the Clippers a major return. The transaction was already going to be judged on whether Zubac could justify the price, and now the way the deal is remembered has shifted again.
A guilty verdict against the Clippers in a cap circumvention scandal changed the optics even more, costing Indiana a 2029 draft pick tied to the trade. It does not alter the actual pieces exchanged between the teams, but it does leave the Clippers' return to the Pacers reduced to Keaton Wagler in the aftermath. For Indiana, the broader question remains the same: whether the on-court value of Zubac can still make a deal this expensive feel worthwhile. [Read more 🡒]