Buyers or Sellers: Sellers
Unlike the Boston Celtics without Jayson Tatum, this season is a wash for the Indiana Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton. Given the fickleness of recoveries from torn Achilles, next year might be, too.
Returning to contention with both Hali and Siakam is clearly Plan A—and the preferred outcome. The front office would nonetheless be remiss if it didn’t gauge the value of an All-NBA hopeful who turns 32 in April and could be 33 before the Pacers are ready to contend again.
Mathurin’s inclusion is non-negotiable with a foray into restricted free agency on the horizon. His scoring arsenal is intriguing, and there might be a place for his cadence inside the fast-and-furious randomness with which Indy likes to play at full strength. The cost of keeping him fuels his expendability.
Walker slides into third-place by default. If the Pacers are married to both Siakam and the recently extended Aaron Nesmith long term, he’s unlikely to move much further up the pecking order than he is now.
Depending on the day, you could talk me into Indy’s 2027 first cracking the big board. It isn’t giving up this year’s pick. And frankly, dealing away next year’s selection would be out of character, too. If they wanted to reel in someone who can be part of the longer-term program, though, that first carries real value.
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