The Indiana Pacers, off the heels of an Eastern Conference Finals last season, had as far of a flashy offseason as possible this summer. Their biggest addition of the summer was signing former No. 2 pick James Wiseman to be a backup (and potentially third-string) center. Furthermore, on the flip side, their biggest lost was losing Jalen Smith, who joined the Chicago Bulls.
Of course, just because it was not flashy does not mean the Pacers had a bad offseason. Some would say it was the complete opposite, in fact.
The Pacers' offseason moves prove they believe their roster is championship-caliber
The Pacers made just about every move they needed to make. Most importantly, they re-signed Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin in free agency. Siakam has been a perfect partner-in-crime next to star Tyrese Haliburton and should continue to elevate the Pacers in his first full year with the team.
As for Toppin, he is coming off a career year in his first campaign with the Pacers. While his four-year, $58 million contract is a big question mark, especially given some of the talent below him on the depth chart, it made sense for the Pacers to bring him back and see how much more he can improve next season.
Additionally, they extended the contracts of Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell, two guards who were essential to the team's conference finals run last season.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus used one word to describe every NBA's offseason. For the Pacers, Pincus used the word "investing" to summarize the moves the team made. This is a perfect way to describe what the Pacers have done this summer.
The Pacers are one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Furthermore, after shocking the basketball world last season, they proved they are in a position to contend for a championship now and in the long run.
While it is fair to say they are not necessarily close to the best roster in the league, there is a lot to be excited about in Indiana, especially in terms of what their ceiling as a team will look like.
If this offseason showed one thing, it is that the Pacers believe they have the pieces to a championship team already on the roster. Furthermore, it is clear they are banking on natural progression from their players at this point, particular the young stars like Haliburton and Nembhard, to inch closer to legitimate title contention instead of making blockbuster moves.
Whether this is the right call or not remains unknown. However, given the success this Pacers team had last season, it is only right they had another chance to show the basketball world what they have in store.
