The Indiana Pacers didn’t spend the offseason chasing the flashiest names or ripping up the roster for the sake of making noise. Instead, they made a series of smaller moves that could end up reshaping the rotation in very real ways.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is the biggest newcomer in that group, and his arrival immediately puts pressure on the wing minutes. Indiana brought him in for the kind of all-around value that can change a bench unit: athleticism, scoring, defensive versatility, and enough experience to give Rick Carlisle another option on the perimeter.
But that also means the clock is ticking for Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard. With Oubre Jr. expected to soak up regular minutes at shooting guard or small forward, there may not be enough room for both young wings to stay in steady roles.
Unless injuries intervene or one of them makes a major leap, one of the two is likely to settle into Carlisle’s regular rotation while the other spends much of the year on the third unit.
Indiana’s swap from Micah Potter to Larry Nance Jr. is less eye-catching, but it may be just as important. Nance brings flexibility, stronger defense, a higher basketball IQ, and the ability to fit into different lineups.
Potter did his job, but Nance simply gives the Pacers more ways to play. That move also pushes Indiana about $5.8 million over the luxury tax line, which makes a cost-cutting trade before the deadline a real possibility.
If that happens, Jarace Walker’s $8.4 million salary looks like the most natural contract to move. Nance’s presence could also reduce the need to bring back Jalen Slawson on a two-way deal, especially with Kobe Brown, Braden Smith, Taelon Peter, and Ethan Thompson already in the mix for limited two-way spots.
Braden Smith is another name that changes the picture. Indiana added the Purdue guard on NBA Draft night in a trade with the Chicago Bulls, and he gives the team a developmental fourth point guard behind Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J.
McConnell. He’s not expected to crack the regular rotation, but his toughness, work ethic, feel for the game, and playmaking make him a worthwhile project.
Smith is expected to sign a two-way contract, though that move has not been made official yet. If it goes through, it only makes the competition for Indiana’s three two-way spots tighter, which is bad news for returning developmental players Ethan Thompson and Taelon Peter.
The Pacers could use their 15th and final roster spot on Smith, but there’s no sign that’s their plan.
Kobe Brown’s return may have been the most surprising move of the bunch, but it came on a two-way contract, which keeps the cost down and the flexibility intact. Indiana already knows what Brown can do after his short stint with the team, so bringing him back this way lets the Pacers keep developing him without burning a standard roster spot.
It’s also Brown’s final year of two-way eligibility, which means Indiana can secure his Bird rights next summer. With the Pacers already projected to be about $3.8 million over the luxury tax before new deals for Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, Brown could eventually become a cheap option for a third-string wing role on a minimum contract in 2027.
The biggest changes, though, may not come from the transactions column at all. Tyrese Haliburton is set to return healthy after his Finals-ending Achilles injury, and Ivica Zubac will finally have a real chance to build chemistry with Haliburton and Pascal Siakam after appearing in just five games with the team.
Oubre Jr. also slides into the second unit as the replacement for Bennedict Mathurin’s spot on last year’s Finals roster. If those pieces click the way Indiana hopes, the Pacers could be back in the NBA Finals again.
In Other News...
Pacers May Have Found A Summer League Big They Can't Ignore
Indianas summer league group has already given the front office a little bit of everything, from an overtime loss to the Sixers to a win over the Cavaliers, but one of the quieter developments has been the play of Rienk Mast. The 6-foot-10 forward has brought a steady inside presence while working on an Exhibit-10 deal, and his recent showing gave the Pacers another look at a player who has spent time in Europe and in college at Bradley and Nebraska.
Masts path has been anything but ordinary, and that matters for a team always searching for useful depth at the margins of the roster. He has already shown enough in this setting to put himself in the conversation for a two-way contract or a G-League spot, and with Indiana still sorting through its summer league options, his mix of size and experience is hard to overlook. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Just Made Another Tough Depth Call After Nance Move
Micah Potters run with the Pacers ended the same way a lot of roster-fight stories do in late summer, with a team trying to balance usefulness against flexibility. The five-year NBA veteran had his best statistical season in Indiana, averaging 9.7 points and five rebounds in 47 appearances, and his offense gave the Pacers a workable depth option at center.
Still, Indiana chose to move on after adding Larry Nance Jr., a move that brought more positional versatility and helped the front office trim salary near the first apron. Potter was always more of a fringe rotation piece than a nightly answer because of the defensive questions, so the Pacers opted for the cleaner roster fit even if it meant giving up a player who had carved out a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Just Got An Uncomfortable Early Look At A Real Problem
Las Vegas Summer League is supposed to be about first impressions, and the Pacers got one they probably would have preferred to avoid. In a 100-93 loss, the player taken No. 22 in the draft carved them up for a game-high 24 points, adding 6 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal while controlling the game in a way Indiana could not quite answer.
For a roster trying to sort out who can hold up on the perimeter and who can keep an offense from getting comfortable, that kind of showing lands with some extra weight. It was only one game in July, but it was also the sort of early look that can expose a real issue before the Pacers have much time to smooth it over. [Read more 🡒]