Harry tore his Achilles tendon! The Pacers let Turner go. Running and gunning + long rotation determine whether they are still dark horses in the new season?

The countdown to the new season is 11 days away. Looking back on last season, the Pacers are definitely the most surprising team in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers had 50 wins and 32 losses last season. This was their second 50+ win since the 2013-14 season. Haliburton led the team to a strong rise. As a team that missed the playoffs for three consecutive years in the 2020-23 season, the Pacers suddenly emerged in the 2023-24 season and won 47 games and entered the Eastern Conference Finals. Last season, they won 50 wins and reached the finals. Their performance in the past two seasons has far exceeded expectations.

The Pacers sent away Paul George on July 1, 2017. Oladipo was briefly regarded as the cornerstone of reconstruction. However, he suffered a major right knee tendon tear on January 25, 2019. The Pacers management sent away Oladipo on January 14, 2021 to start a comprehensive reconstruction.

Carlisle, Haliburton, Siakam, these are the key figures in the Pacers' rise in the past two seasons.

On June 25, 2021, former Mavericks champion coach Carlisle reached a four-year, 29 million contract with the Pacers and became the Pacers head coach for the second time (2003-07). In the past four years, Coach Carlisle has led the team to achieve 25 wins, 35 wins, 47 wins, and 50 wins. Step by step, he has shaped the team culture, laid a solid foundation, and moved towards revival.

On February 9, 2022, the Pacers and the Kings completed a big deal involving 6 people: the Pacers sent Sabonis Jr. + Lamb + Justin Holiday + the 2027 second round, and acquired Haliburton + Hield + Tristan Thompson from the Kings. This deal allowed the Pacers to acquire Haliburton, the cornerstone of the team. He has averaged 9.6, 10.4, 10.9, and 9.2 assists per game in the past four seasons for the Pacers. His master-level court control style truly makes others better.

Siakam was traded to the Pacers by the Raptors on January 18, 2024. The offensive and defensive capabilities of this champion striker transformed the Pacers: not only helped the team achieve 47 wins and 35 losses in the 2023-25 ​​season, but also made many hard-hit performances in the playoffs. He is worthy of being the Pacers' strongest attacker in the playoffs in the past two years.

In the 2023-24 season, the Pacers ranked 2nd in offensive efficiency and 24th in defensive efficiency, and were swept by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals; last season, the Pacers ranked 9th in offensive efficiency and 13th in defensive efficiency. The Pacers have improved their defense, and Carlisle has also created a long rotation system. G2 in the conference finals can use 11-man rotations. Defense + rotation depth are important reasons why they can reach the finals.

Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the Finals, which fundamentally determines the Pacers' team building ideas for next season.

Since Haliburton and Siakam have two big contracts, the Pacers do not have sufficient salary space.

Next season, Haliburton will earn 45.55 million, Siakam will earn 45.55 million, Nembhard will earn 18.1 million, Toppin will earn 14 million, Nesmith will earn 11 million, McConaughey will earn 10.2 million, Marcelin will earn 9.19 million, and Walker will earn 6.67 million. Players who entered the playoff rotation last season are all under contract. The Pacers' total salary before renewing Turner's contract was already close to US$170 million.

The luxury tax threshold for the new season is 187 million, which means that giving Turner an annual salary of more than 20 million will have to pay luxury tax. However, when Haliburton has a high probability of not being able to play, paying the tax to keep Turner is obviously not a wise move for a small club.

Turner joined the Bucks in 4 years for $107 million. The Pacers let go of this useful space-based insider for nothing. The introduction of a center is also a key task in the offseason.

The Pacers sent 1 second-round pick + 1 second-round pick swap to the Grizzlies in exchange for the cheaper space-based inside line Huff.

Huff is now 27 years old, 216 centimeters tall and 108 kilograms in weight. Last season, he averaged 40.5% of three-point field goals per game, and his contract is cheap. The remaining 2+1 team options for the three-year contract are annual salaries of 2.3 million, 2.7 million, and 3 million (team option). His screen space value will be enough to match Haliburton in the future, and the price is only one-tenth of Turner's!

The Pacers spent 21 million over three years to renew Isaiah Jackson's contract, and also gave Wiseman a two-year contract "scratch bonus". Both of them are blue-collar post-type insiders without three-point range, adding different types of insider employment options to the team.

The Pacers let go of Turner, and Huff, Jackson, and Wiseman are still available inside. Until Haliburton fully recovers, the inside rotation is basically enough.

The Pacers retain the core team that reached the Finals last season. In the new season, they still have hope of making the playoffs without Haliburton for a long time.

Siakam, Nembhard, Toppin, Nesmith, McConaughey, Marcelin, Shepard, Walker, Huff, and Jackson have a ten-man rotation lineup. Nembhard, Nesmith, and McConaughey are all underestimated players, and the two ball-holding points of Nembhard and McConaughey can serve as the No. 1 position in the starting and substitute respectively. The Pacers do not rely on one person, everyone is on the same team, and the thickness of the long rotation is their biggest advantage.

It was a wise move for the Pacers to let go of Turner when they knew they had no hope of competing for the title next season.

After all, the Pacers are a small club. After a crazy arms race, the first-tier team in the Western Conference gave birth to four monsters: the Thunder, Rockets, Nuggets, and Clippers. There are also two strong teams in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks and the Cavaliers. Even if the Pacers choose to pay taxes, the future championship environment will not be friendly.

In the new season, Siakam + Nembhard + Nesmith + McConaughey + Marcelin + Toppin can guarantee the Pacers' lower limit. They still have many ball-handling points and shooters. Considering the depth of coach Carlisle's long rotation, the Pacers have many players, and the run-and-gun style + long rotation determines that their results in the regular season will not be bad. It is very likely that they will be an underrated dark horse team..

The core team of the Pacers is relatively young. Haliburton is 25 years old, Nembhard is 25 years old, Nesmith is 25 years old, and Marcelin is 23 years old. In the new season, due to the injury of the ace, he has temporarily withdrawn from the championship competition next season. As long as Haliburton is healthy in the future, the Pacers will have at least five years to compete for the championship!