2022 Summer/Offseason

[Scoot McGroot]

Tony East on Locked on Pacers described The potential of a Myles Turner trade as like a litmus test of what the Pacers will do going forward, and that seemed quite apt, to me.

[Scoot McGroot]

Also, Pritchard is apparently scheduled to give his end of season press conference around the draft lottery time.

[geistmoney]

Is Miles Bridges a possibility? I know he's restricted, but we'd at least put a conference foe in a budge situation and remove their available cap from free agency by tying up the money (think what Portland did to us in FA for Hibbert). He seems like the swiss army knife 4 that would fit really well and bring the toughness this team has been lacking. If Turner is still here (more below), I could see them playing well together too, as Bridges doesn't need to live in the paint.

The other question would be, would you do a S&T Bridges for Turner? I personally like Turner and think even at a $25-$30m/year extension he's still very valuable (Gobert makes $40m yr for example). I'm not sure I'm in love with this scenario, but it feels like we could find a different 5, easier than we've been finding/searching for a 4. Where we land in the draft changes this whole thing.

[geistmoney]

Who are some good role players you guys think might fill out the roster nicely? I don't think we need to broach any PG's, so more focused on SF - C, assuming SG is a log jam too (Duarte, Hield, Duane, Taylor).

A couple I wouldn't mind are:
- Thad - Always a great team player - not sure we're competitive enough to warrant his end of career time
- Zach Lavine - Are we sure he wants to stay? He of course breaks my comment from above, but his energy and excitement would be fun in indy and we have money. Is he worth it though?
-Joe Ingles - Brings toughness, leadership and shooting to the 3 spot
-Covington - Toughness is what I'd want out of him, stretch 4 - 5
-Ibaka/Favors/Harrell - Not sure I love any of them on this team, but would provide size if we move on from Goga
-Kyle Anderson - Could be interesting, but I'd do a Jeremy Lamb type signing, as I think he's a versatile 3
-Lonnie Walker - I don't feel like SA loves him, but I see his talent every now and then. consistency is the issue for me and probably SA.
-Otto Porter - Queitly does his job.

Now that I've named half the league, thoughts

[Wizop]

Who are some good role players you guys think might fill out the roster nicely?

we ended the year with a full roster. I don't see Rubio or Smith coming back so there are two spots for draft picks. that leaves Warren and Stephenson as question marks. IMHO assuming no trades, a free agent role player would have to offer more than bringing one of those guys back.

also, until we know what the draft gives us we won't know where there is PT available. our top 10 pick sure needs to be in the regular rotation.

[Scoot McGroot]

Is Miles Bridges a possibility? I know he's restricted, but we'd at least put a conference foe in a budge situation and remove their available cap from free agency by tying up the money (think what Portland did to us in FA for Hibbert). He seems like the swiss army knife 4 that would fit really well and bring the toughness this team has been lacking. If Turner is still here (more below), I could see them playing well together too, as Bridges doesn't need to live in the paint.

Good question. I don't think that Charlotte is in a position to let Bridges walk. He's a great young talent that can play on both ends of the court, plays an important position as a 3/4, and is best friends with their future superstar in Lamelo Ball. I also don't think that we'll be the only team that might possibly try and bid up Charlotte. I see Detroit and San Antonio having max cap space and the desire to acquire a Bridges.

The other question would be, would you do a S&T Bridges for Turner? I personally like Turner and think even at a $25-$30m/year extension he's still very valuable (Gobert makes $40m yr for example). I'm not sure I'm in love with this scenario, but it feels like we could find a different 5, easier than we've been finding/searching for a 4. Where we land in the draft changes this whole thing.

I think they likely would hope to add Turner to their core, but more somehow with their 13/15 picks, not a key player.

Who are some good role players you guys think might fill out the roster nicely? I don't think we need to broach any PG's, so more focused on SF - C, assuming SG is a log jam too (Duarte, Hield, Duane, Taylor).

Good question. I think it all really depends on what we do this offseason. We've got 11 players signed, and 2 picks in the top 31 that you could potentially earmark for roster spots, so there's really only 2 potential spots left with Warren, Rubio, Lance, and Jalen still potentially re-signed. There's just not a ton of spots left, with guys like Washington and Taylor already signed as "role players".

A couple I wouldn't mind are:
- Thad - Always a great team player - not sure we're competitive enough to warrant his end of career time
- Zach Lavine - Are we sure he wants to stay? He of course breaks my comment from above, but his energy and excitement would be fun in indy and we have money. Is he worth it though?
-Joe Ingles - Brings toughness, leadership and shooting to the 3 spot
-Covington - Toughness is what I'd want out of him, stretch 4 - 5
-Ibaka/Favors/Harrell - Not sure I love any of them on this team, but would provide size if we move on from Goga
-Kyle Anderson - Could be interesting, but I'd do a Jeremy Lamb type signing, as I think he's a versatile 3
-Lonnie Walker - I don't feel like SA loves him, but I see his talent every now and then. consistency is the issue for me and probably SA.
-Otto Porter - Queitly does his job.

Thad may be a possibility now that we've moved on from Sabonis. He did fit with Turner, but Thad is turning more into a 5 than a 4, and he's really only able to guard the 4/5, and no longer the 3's like he used to. Still helpful, but I think contenders will really be seeking his services, heavily.

Zach Lavine is a true max salary guy. As of now, we'd be about $10-15m short of realistically signing him. And I'm not sure he'd want to play elsewhere where another young guard would also have the ball in his hands a ton directing the offense. But, who knows? And if the lotto pick turns out to be Jaden Ivey, what do you do with Hali, Lavine, Ivey, Duarte, Brogdon, McConnell, Buddy, and Washington?

Ingles would be an interesting consideration for vet leadership. His play on court is diminishing, but he's still a great guy to have in the locker room. Not sure he's going anywhere other than back to Utah, though.

Covington is an interesting one, though maybe more if we move Turner, and want a vet at the 4 to help steady the bigs? I imagine he'll want solid money on his last long-term deal, and I'm not sure I want to be that team to pay him that.

Favors is under contract for next year with OKC. Ibaka/Harrell are in different spots. I think Harrell will want a LARGE role, and he caused issues in Washington because of that. He's probably not a guy you want to bring in next to Jackson, while Ibaka might be more of that vet.

Anderson's hard to read. He had a huge year last year (not this current season), and has otherwise been steady, but not great. Is he more a pure 4? He does provide some steady defense and an additional ball handler/hub. He might be gettable with the MLE.

Lonnie Walker is a good enough player, but it's hard to read what SA will do. As a potential restricted free agent, I'd probably ignore him unless SA just doesn't tender him a QO. But even then, barring a couple major moves, I'm not sure guard is where we need to focus our limited roster spots.

Otto Porter is a solid maybe? Hopefully less than the MLE, but he's clearly a bench 4/5/3 kind of guy. I'd personally just imagine Warren re-signed as a potential starter (if the medicals check out, obviously), with Oshae taking on the role that Otto would fill.

Now that I've named half the league, thoughts

All good questions. I think the huge question is what direction do we go? We could easily clear up to $22-25m in cap space by operating under the cap, OR, we could operate "over the cap" by retaining the rights to Warren/Rubio/Jalen, and instead possibly use the full MLE (around $10m) and our larger remaining Traded Player Exceptions ($10.3m from Lamb, $7.33m from McDermott, and $3.98m from AHoliday) to work trades, or even eat salaries for draft pick compensation and maybe take on lesser wanted role player contracts?

[Wizop]

The other question would be, would you do a S&T Bridges for Turner?

I would not. I think we need a rim protector as having one compensates for defensive lapses on the perimeter. I'm keeping Turner.

f the lotto pick turns out to be Jaden Ivey

I think we'd have to pick 4 or 5 to take Ivey or Sharpe. If we're in the top 3, we can take whoever we like best and is left of Holmgren, Smith, and Banchero. If we're 6th or lower, there is a good chance Ivey and Sharpe will be off the board. I'm really hoping the ping pong balls don't leave us looking at a guard as the clear BPA. if it happens though, I think we'd have to shop Brogdon and maybe Hield too and would have a hard time justifying keeping Lance.

[Scoot McGroot]

if it happens though, I think we'd have to shop Brogdon and maybe Hield too and would have a hard time justifying keeping Lance.

I’m assuming the chances we’re moving Brogdon this offseason are nearly 100%. If we can move Buddy without paying to do so, I think we are, too.

[Wizop]

if it happens though, I think we'd have to shop Brogdon and maybe Hield too and would have a hard time justifying keeping Lance.

I’m assuming the chances we’re moving Brogdon this offseason are nearly 100%. If we can move Buddy without paying to do so, I think we are, too.

I hope Pritchard does a better job of finding trading partners than we've seen on the trade forum. I've yet to see something that I love and I hate the Westbrook idea.

[Scoot McGroot]

if it happens though, I think we'd have to shop Brogdon and maybe Hield too and would have a hard time justifying keeping Lance.

I’m assuming the chances we’re moving Brogdon this offseason are nearly 100%. If we can move Buddy without paying to do so, I think we are, too.

I hope Pritchard does a better job of finding trading partners than we've seen on the trade forum. I've yet to see something that I love and I hate the Westbrook idea.

I don’t hate Westbrook at baseline. If he’s a tool to clear future money, and we buy him out, while being paid for taking him on, I can live with it. Like, if we deal Brogdon for picks/filler and then re direct that filler with Buddy to LA for Westbrook/value, then I’m ok with that. I’m absolutely not ok with dealing Brogdon/Buddy/McConnell or Turner directly to LA for just Russ/far off picks.

[Wizop]

I don’t hate Westbrook at baseline. If he’s a tool to clear future money, and we buy him out, while being paid for taking him on, I can live with it. Like, if we deal Brogdon for picks/filler and then re direct that filler with Buddy to LA for Westbrook/value, then I’m ok with that. I’m absolutely not ok with dealing Brogdon/Buddy/McConnell or Turner directly to LA for just Russ/far off picks.

I can live with that. I agree that the Lakers picks are too far out to make a direct deal work although I remember when we traded a first several years out for Tom Owens and it bit us badly.

[Scoot McGroot]

I don’t hate Westbrook at baseline. If he’s a tool to clear future money, and we buy him out, while being paid for taking him on, I can live with it. Like, if we deal Brogdon for picks/filler and then re direct that filler with Buddy to LA for Westbrook/value, then I’m ok with that. I’m absolutely not ok with dealing Brogdon/Buddy/McConnell or Turner directly to LA for just Russ/far off picks.

I can live with that. I agree that the Lakers picks are too far out to make a direct deal work although I remember when we traded a first several years out for Tom Owens and it bit us badly.

Right. Like, if we dealt Brogdon to Minnesota for value, and got back DLo Russell, I’d be happy to send DLo/Buddy to LA for Russ/THT and a far off first.

Basically, if we’re paid for Russ as the salary dump he would be, and he never suits up for us, I’d be ok with that.

[Troubadour]

What are you all expecting to happen with Jalen Smith?

[Wizop]

What are you all expecting to happen with Jalen Smith?

we're assuming someone will offer him more than we're legally able to offer. we're limited because his option wasn't picked up before we got him. no one else has that limitation.

[Scoot McGroot]

What are you all expecting to happen with Jalen Smith?

Like Wizop said, we’re anticipating that someone pays him more than we can over he next two years. We’re limited to paying Jalen no more than what his rookie contract options would have paid him in year 3 and year 4, so he’d have to be willing to turn down a number of likely stronger offers to stay in Indy, simply out of sentimentality?

[Topofthekey]

Is Miles Bridges a possibility? I know he's restricted, but we'd at least put a conference foe in a budge situation and remove their available cap from free agency by tying up the money (think what Portland did to us in FA for Hibbert). He seems like the swiss army knife 4 that would fit really well and bring the toughness this team has been lacking. If Turner is still here (more below), I could see them playing well together too, as Bridges doesn't need to live in the paint.

The other question would be, would you do a S&T Bridges for Turner? I personally like Turner and think even at a $25-$30m/year extension he's still very valuable (Gobert makes $40m yr for example). I'm not sure I'm in love with this scenario, but it feels like we could find a different 5, easier than we've been finding/searching for a 4. Where we land in the draft changes this whole thing.

I like Miles Bridges too. Until I spent some time reading the Hornets board. Apparently he's not very good on defense at all


"
I am still very concerned about his defense. It's slightly better as a small forward than it was as a power forward, but he is still nowhere near becoming a plus Defender which is problematic especially when paired with lamelo. We are potentially building around 2 Young net negative defensive players. It can be done, but it is certainly going to be a challenge to put the right the defensive pieces next to these two players
"


"
I think Lowe equated being able to guard multiple positions (Miles can) to being a good/solid defender (Miles is not). Those two things do not always align.

We're arguably the worst defensive team in the league. It's not some revelation that our players are generally bad defenders
"


"
He's somewhat ok on ball, kinda bad cause he doesn't have that lateral quickness that good man defenders have. But more unforgivably his off ball defense is just awful, a motivated person could easily make a harden tier montage of him falling asleep on off ball cutters or slow rotations.

Not trying to be overly negative but the guy is not nearly the defender he should/could be. Kinda the same thing with Oubre
"


"
I don't think he is a max contract player. Poor defender, average shooter, average playmaker. He doesn't do anything notable at an elite level. The one thing he's got going for him is he does manage a good FG%. He's a really good fit with Melo too.
"


"
Miles is a keeper, no question, no brainer. The market will dictate his value. Our best chance to have a value contract was this off-season. We decided to go too low (being cautious) and it wasn’t nearly enough. Now, we must keep Miles no matter the price. He is foundational to our future. As someone said, if you don’t want to sign for BIG money, make that deal now. Personally, I see Miles continuing to improve, even this year from last year. Needs to tighten up his defense. Miles is one of our anchors, along with Melo, and currently Rozier. Those three are so dynamic, they give us a chance to win any game. Need our defensive stopper/shot blocker/rebounder in the middle, which I hope someday is Kai but that is a huge unknown
"


"
I don't see the issue with the post. What, specifically, is too harsh about it?

He is a poor defender. I feel like this is pretty obvious. He has the tools to defend, but he falls asleep too often.
Average shooter. He shoots 33% from 3. That is pretty average. He can get hot and go 5-6, or he can go 1-8.
Average playmaker. He averages 3.6 assists per 36 minutes. The same as Cody Martin. This can probably be upgraded to "Above Average" at least for SF/PF's.
"


Miles Bridges + Haliburton sounds exciting on offense. But going by what Hornets posters say about him, we'll probably need Turner to help offset his defensive shortcomings, so a Turner for Bridges S&T feels pointless

[Pacers Forever]

Who are some good role players you guys think might fill out the roster nicely? I don't think we need to broach any PG's, so more focused on SF - C, assuming SG is a log jam too (Duarte, Hield, Duane, Taylor).

A couple I wouldn't mind are:
- Thad - Always a great team player - not sure we're competitive enough to warrant his end of career time
- Zach Lavine - Are we sure he wants to stay? He of course breaks my comment from above, but his energy and excitement would be fun in indy and we have money. Is he worth it though?
-Joe Ingles - Brings toughness, leadership and shooting to the 3 spot
-Covington - Toughness is what I'd want out of him, stretch 4 - 5
-Ibaka/Favors/Harrell - Not sure I love any of them on this team, but would provide size if we move on from Goga
-Kyle Anderson - Could be interesting, but I'd do a Jeremy Lamb type signing, as I think he's a versatile 3
-Lonnie Walker - I don't feel like SA loves him, but I see his talent every now and then. consistency is the issue for me and probably SA.
-Otto Porter - Queitly does his job.

Now that I've named half the league, thoughts

Covington got extended 2 more years with Clippers for $24 million.

[8305]

I don’t hate Westbrook at baseline. If he’s a tool to clear future money, and we buy him out, while being paid for taking him on, I can live with it. Like, if we deal Brogdon for picks/filler and then re direct that filler with Buddy to LA for Westbrook/value, then I’m ok with that. I’m absolutely not ok with dealing Brogdon/Buddy/McConnell or Turner directly to LA for just Russ/far off picks.

I can live with that. I agree that the Lakers picks are too far out to make a direct deal work although I remember when we traded a first several years out for Tom Owens and it bit us badly.

Right. Like, if we dealt Brogdon to Minnesota for value, and got back DLo Russell, I’d be happy to send DLo/Buddy to LA for Russ/THT and a far off first.

Basically, if we’re paid for Russ as the salary dump he would be, and he never suits up for us, I’d be ok with that.

I’m fine with this too. I’d like to get off Hield’s contract and if Brogdan can be moved for draft capital that makes sense too.

As for Turner, I’d like to see him resigned. Although, if we wind up with Banchero or Holmgren in the draft (I see these guys ultimately being small ball 5s) maybe Turner is less interested in staying?

[basketballwacko2]

I hope Pritchard does a better job of finding trading partners than we've seen on the trade forum. I've yet to see something that I love and I hate the Westbrook idea.

Looks like that might be off the table as the Lakers are now blaming Vogel for Westbrook not working out.

[Wizop]

As for Turner, I’d like to see him resigned. Although, if we wind up with Banchero or Holmgren in the draft (I see these guys ultimately being small ball 5s) maybe Turner is less interested in staying?

both played 4 in college and Banchero would definitely benefit by playing next to a rim protector like Turner. Smith was also a college 4 although I can see him being a pro 3. the same could be said of Murray although I'm souring on him.

Holmgren isn't a small ball anything. he's skinny but tall. think Porzingas.

Brogdon makes more than Hield and his contract is a year longer. I think we can live with Hield this year playing off the bench. we don't have to decide what to do in the summer of 2023 now. Brogdon worries me because I think he could be a distraction if he doesn't start particularly if the draft gives us a guard.