The Indiana Pacers entered the offseason with a dark cloud over their head. Well before the draft and free agency, superstar Paul George told the organization that he plans to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers next summer, which left the Pacers in shambles.
Hoping to at least get some pieces in return, the Pacers spent the first few weeks of the offseason to find a new home for George. Ultimately, they landed a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, trading George for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
The deal was rather shocking to the rest of the league because the Pacers didn’t receive any draft picks in return and settled for only two players.
Oladipo is still young and has potential, but he struggled offensively in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, Sabonis has yet to prove himself, which is why the Pacers seemingly didn’t get enough for George.
Recovering from the Paul George loss
The Pacers had to use free agency to try and recover from losing Paul George as much as they can. Their first move was the signing of Darren Collison, which gives them a solid starting caliber point guard to compliment the young talent.
However, after signing Collison, the Pacers waived veteran Monta Ellis to clear cap space. Ellis had the worst season since his rookie campaign, averaging just 8.5 points and 3.2 assists. His role was reduced since he was unable to co-exist alongside Jeff Teague, who walked in free agency to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.
To add more point guard depth, Indiana also acquired Cory Joseph via sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors. Toronto attained C.J. Miles on a three-year, $25 million deal. The other free agency acquisition was Bojan Bogdanovic, who isn’t nearly as good as George but should provide sufficient scoring and three-point shooting.
The 2017 NBA draft
Through the draft, the Pacers selected UCLA standout T.J. Leaf with the 18th overall pick, adding another big young man to their frontcourt. In the second round, the Pacers used the 47th overall selection on Ike Anigbogu.
Clearly, Indiana has lost more than it has gained this offseason, as the roster has deteriorated considerably.
It’s never good losing a star player during the summer, and to not get much in return is even worse.
Roster outlook
PG: Darren Collison/Cory Joseph/Joseph Young SG: Victor Oladipo/Lance Stephenson SF: Bojan Bogdanovic/Glen Robinson III PF: Thaddeus Young/T.J. Leaf/Domantas Sabonis C: Myles Turner/Al Jefferson/Ike Anigbogu Coach: Nate McMillan
Offseason Grade: C-
