The Indiana Pacers have already made one notable move in NBA free agency, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with veteran wing Kelly Oubre Jr. worth around $17 million. The deal has reportedly been agreed upon, though the team has not officially announced Oubre’s signing yet. For now, it sounds like only the final details are left to sort out, and Oubre is expected to end up with Indiana soon.
Even with that move on the board, Pacers fans are still looking for more. One name that has surfaced is DeMar DeRozan, who became available after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Sacramento Kings. The question now is whether Indiana should seriously explore adding the veteran scorer.
Sports Illustrated’s Alex Golden weighed in on that possibility and saw enough there to understand the appeal, even if he doesn’t expect it to happen. He pointed to Indiana’s win-now mindset and DeRozan’s ability to still put points on the board.
"Why would the Pacers have interest in adding a 37-year-old wing? Well, they want to win-now and he is still a capable player. He is an elite scorer, despite not being a great three-point shooter, and adds more scoring to the bench than anyone else they have on the roster," Golden wrote.
Golden still stopped short of projecting a match, though. He said he does not see DeRozan landing in Indiana, even if the path would be straightforward if the veteran is open to the minimum.
"I don't see DeRozan joining the Pacers in the offseason, but it would be easy to make happen if he is willing to sign the veterans minimum. Indiana offers DeRozan a well-balanced team, a reunion with his former teammate, Pascal Siakam, and the chance to play for a championship after spending the back half of his career playing for lesser talented teams."
DeRozan’s 2025-26 season with Sacramento gave a clear picture of what he still brings. He appeared in 77 games and averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and a steal per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range.
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 🡒]