The Indiana Pacers didn’t have much to celebrate after a brutal 2025-26 season, but they did land a notable offseason win.
Coming off a 19-63 finish in a year when Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined by Achilles recovery, Indiana also went through the draft without a pick after its midseason trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. That deal sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick to Los Angeles in exchange for Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.
Even with that rough backdrop, the Pacers beat out the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers for former Golden State Warriors forward Kelly Oubre Jr., a player with $82 million in career earnings.
“The Indiana Pacers announced (last) Wednesday the team signed forward Kelly Oubre Jr.," the franchise's press release stated. "Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Oubre will wear number 10 for the Pacers.”
On June 30, Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko reported that the Lakers and 76ers were among the teams expected to meet with Oubre later in the summer, a sign of the interest the 30-year-old drew on the market.
Oubre spent one season with the Warriors in 2020-21 and then turned in a solid year with Philadelphia last season, posting 14.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. For Indiana, the appeal is clear: he brings off-ball cutting, straight-line burst after defenders overplay him, transition finishing and the kind of defensive activity that lets him cover ground and disrupt plays.
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Lakers Just Sent A Message About LeBron's Future After Luka
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Olden Polynice read that makeover as a sign the Lakers had already started planning for life beyond LeBron, and he also pointed to the current free-agent market as evidence that the veteran star no longer has the same leverage he once did. Even so, the idea that James is simply waiting for the right landing spot is not so simple, because multiple teams are still watching closely as his future remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]