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Tomhomes33 wrote:

LOL I stopped reading after Looney 4mill/per..but even before Brogdon at 17mill not hapenning..just a dumb post

Pacers offseason review: A quiet shakeup as Indiana bets on big duos in both backcourt and frontcourt

Indiana got bigger and younger, and it is hoping that it will retain its identity



If the new-look Pacers do not jell, Kevin Pritchard's front office will take criticism for undervaluing experience (last year's roster had five players with more than six years of experience; next year's will have one: Lamb). If they do jell, Indiana will look smart for sacrificing those steadying influences and empowering its core players to lead. The Pacers have more firepower, which they will need in the postseason, and they are betting that they will retain their identity as a tough, hard-playing, intelligent and unselfish team.

Oladipo's star turn in 2017-18 and Indiana's perseverance without him in 2018-19 elicited similar praise in the media: Hey, we should really be talking about the Pacers more! These guys aren't flashy, but they compete like crazy on defense! Well-intentioned as this may be, the subtext is less sunny: They're not real contenders, but boy do they try. Getting younger, then, is a possible path out of the cute-story phase.

Brogdon's four-year, $85 million deal could be a harmful overpay or it could be the best thing to ever happen to Oladipo, who needed a backcourt partner of Brogdon's caliber. Before the Brogdon sign-and-trade materialized, the word was that Indiana would re-sign Bogdanovic and sign guard Ricky Rubio. This would not have been a bad outcome, but the upside of the Brogdon-Oladipo tandem was more appealing.

Going into his second season, Aaron Holiday is Indiana's most intriguing young player, and he should be pleased with this offseason. Not only did the Pacers sign his brother, Justin, they did not bring back Darren Collison, who bizarrely retired, or Cory Joseph. His main competition is T.J. McConnell, but there might be room for both of them in the rotation before Oladipo comes back. Part of the value Brogdon brings is his ability to play with different types of guards -- if Holiday has an awesome training camp and earns McMillan's trust, it's not totally crazy to imagine him starting at point guard with Brogdon at the 2 spot.

MUpacersSIC wrote: I’ll come back to this after free agency and we’ll see how close the numbers were.