Moving Forward into 2023 & beyond?

[JMaster5K]

I just watched some of the jazz-raptors game and Olynk could be an interesting option in the summer. He’s a good shooter, a great passer and can play the 3 and 4. He’d fit well with our other bigs.

I think he’d really elevate the second unit. Maybe something like $22m/2 years.

Olynyk has played really well this year, and he does have a skillset that would seem to fit with the Pacers, but at 32, I would think he would have to bring something else (veteran presence, championship pedigree, etc.) that would help elevate the club? Could be wrong, wouldn't be the first time,.. LOL =} But, if it was someone that wasn't going to start, and would take minutes away from Nesmith, Stix, I-Jax, etc... I think, I'd rather stick with the younguns,... LOL ? o0

The pacers are good enough to start thinking about winning playoff series and to do that we need better depth and talent. I don’t see a big on our roster with Olynk’s skill set, he even plays a bit of point forward. He’d really fit well in the pacers system.

Olynk also plays smaller than Stix or I-Jax, he’d mainly be competing with Toppin and Nesmith for back up forward minutes. Competition is good though, let the best players play.

LOL ?

idk?... you may be right. Olynyk does have a good skillset for this offense. If he can still move his feet well enough to play defense on the perimeter, he could be a decent option? He's never going to be a big shot blocker,. even playing from the help side. But, we got Myles, Stix, & I-Jax to pair with him,.. so really wouldn't need to be.

At the very least,.. he's at least interesting and worth keeping an eye on. =]

[JMaster5K]

Maybe I been missing a potentially big part of this?.....

I've been looking at guys that could potentially 'move the needle' for us as a team. Young guys with the athleticism & skillset to be a key part of this team, develop along with our other young guys, and become a contender,..... Those guys are admittedly very hard to find with any amount of certainty. If you do find one with a large amount of certainty,.. they tend to be REALLY expensive.

With the team where it's at now, still trying to develop a significant part of the rotation by developing younger players,... maybe there is something to be said for players that don't really push the ceiling, but do, in fact, raise the floor?

Maybe there could be a player or two (that I've overlooked), that could be signed for a couple of years, and aren't in the longer term plans? A player (like Bruce Brown) that can help fill in the gaps in the teamwork; increase the standards of play for the team; help the developing players grow by setting the bar a bit higher even if the win/loss record isn't going to be dramatically effected?

So, you sign a player like a Siakam,.. but say he signs for a 1 + 1, at his max contract for $ 42.6 for 24-25? That does help us experience the playoffs,.. with a chance to win a couple of games or even a series? That helps us learn how to prepare for the playoffs? the work ethic and performance standards of a 8, then 9 year veteran, who is always someplace in the top 10% of the league?

It would also let Siakam return to UFA status, as a 9+ season veteran that would allow him to move from the 30% max to the 35% max at his youngest opportunity, while he was still say 30-31 years old.

idk?.... maybe there are more opportunities out there than I thought?..... o0

[JMaster5K]

Caitlin Cooper on another Podcast talking Pacers.

A short excerpt on Mathurin & Walker, where they are & where they could be going.

Watch on YouTube

The entire Pod about the Pacers,...

Watch on YouTube

[Spates]

How would you guys feel about this trade?

[Wizop]

I don't think we're trading for an expiring Siakim but if we were I'd prefer Brown and Hield for Siakim and McDaniels. Pacers should keep Nesmith and Sheppard.

[Wizop]

Read on Twitter

[Tom White]

How would you guys feel about this trade?

I'd throw up.

[granger05]

I see Wendell Carter Jr. showing up on the wiretap as available. Can he play power forward? He's got a great cheap contract.

[Pacers Forever]

I see Wendell Carter Jr. showing up on the wiretap as available. Can he play power forward? He's got a great cheap contract.

6’10” and is better suited for power forward than center. He’s been played as an undersized center a lot though.

He’s a very good rebounder, 12-15 pt scorer, 24 years old, and cheap. Haven’t seen him play lately to see how well he gets up and down the court.

Biggest negative is he’s been injury prone or feels that way. Currently injured. Biggest positive is rebounding. I have mixed feelings about him, however if he’s healthy he’ll help our bigs depth.

[Grang33r]

Read on Twitter

I think this is the path to go. Pacers have so many first's and also a ton of second round picks. They even have some players that they are able to deal on the current roster. But one thing is for sure, if im KP, i am not dealing Jarace Walker. The Pacers suffered last season and drafted 8th overall. They earned the right to trust the process and see how he develops. I've seen good reviews of his game tonight via twitter but his games for Fort Wayne have been electric. He dominates that level of ball.

Pacers were patient with Jackson and that's looking like it's going to make the Pacers look very smart for staying patient with him because he looks like a absolute stud.

[jarryd3107]

Read on Twitter

I think this is the path to go. Pacers have so many first's and also a ton of second round picks. They even have some players that they are able to deal on the current roster. But one thing is for sure, if im KP, i am not dealing Jarace Walker. The Pacers suffered last season and drafted 8th overall. They earned the right to trust the process and see how he develops. I've seen good reviews of his game tonight via twitter but his games for Fort Wayne have been electric. He dominates that level of ball.

Walker was good tonight. The stats weren’t mind blowing but I thought he looked great. A few problems on defense but that’s normal for players as young as him. His apprenticeship in the g-league was the right move.

[JMaster5K]

I see Wendell Carter Jr. showing up on the wiretap as available. Can he play power forward? He's got a great cheap contract.

6’10” and is better suited for power forward than center. He’s been played as an undersized center a lot though.

He’s a very good rebounder, 12-15 pt scorer, 24 years old, and cheap. Haven’t seen him play lately to see how well he gets up and down the court.

Biggest negative is he’s been injury prone or feels that way. Currently injured. Biggest positive is rebounding. I have mixed feelings about him, however if he’s healthy he’ll help our bigs depth.

Carter has a nice game, as a rebounding, offensive backup center. He's a legit NBA rotation player, but simply has a low ceiling,... at everything. He's got slow feet. Even when he was lighter, when switched to the perimeter, he got roasted. He's now listed at 270 (came into the league around 250), needs the weight to have the strength to play the 5. He essentially both offensively and defensively has to play the 5, and likely has to play in a drop defense.

He also isn't that long. He's longer than a 4 (9'1" standing reach as a 19 year old,.. probably now around 9'2"?), but not as long as most starting 5's. He is skilled. He kinda has to play defense like Doma,.. or a bit like Jokic. Offensively, he just isn't in same class as either of them. He's good, but he doesn't have the feel, or ability to see & read the whole floor. In the right system, (Sac, Den, etc.) He could be a really valued backup. He could probably start for a team like Toronto who are desperate for offense from the post & haven't yet really settled into a specific style.

I don't see him really fitting with the Pacers,.. even on the second unit. He would slow down the offense, and be someone that we would have to scheme to cover on defense. He's a player that I've always wanted to see do well, but I can't find any way to believe he's got more than he's already shown.

[Grang33r]

Some tidbits on the Pacers interest in Siakam and Kuzma in B/R by Eric Pincus-

The Pacers have the lowest payroll in the league (about $8.3 million under the $136 million salary cap) and are said to be looking for a bigger wing to help the team's playoff run.

While Siakam is on that list, maybe even at the top, the asking price from Toronto is probably too high.

The bait offered is believed to be Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown Jr. and one of Indiana's two first-round picks in the 2024 draft (it has its own and another that is likely via the Oklahoma City Thunder or LA Clippers). With enough targets to choose from (Jerami Grant, Andrew Wiggins, Siakam etc.), the answer may be Kyle Kuzma with the Wizards.

Kuzma is on a cost-controlled contract ($90 million, descending over four years) and would give the team another frontcourt scoring option. While he hasn't done much defensively in Washington, the team has been pretty terrible around him. He was a part of an excellent Lakers championship squad in 2020.

But honestly, the Pacers win by outscoring teams, and Kuzma may fit the bill. Grant is much more expensive ($160 million over five years) with the Portland Trail Blazers. So is Wiggins at $109 million (over four), and his game has dropped off significantly since his All-Star season in 2022.

Kuzma has the best price, is younger than Siakam and probably doesn't cost the Pacers as much in trade. The Wizards were said to be looking for a first, but that price has recently risen to two. That may be because, in part, they have one already available to them via Indiana.

Link- https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10105102-nba-rumors-latest-intel-on-pascal-siakam-dejounte-murray-zach-lavine-and-more

[Scoot McGroot]

Some tidbits on the Pacers interest in Siakam and Kuzma in B/R by Eric Pincus-

Pincus is so bad at this

Or rather, not as good at this as he thinks he is.

[JMaster5K]

Some tidbits on the Pacers interest in Siakam and Kuzma in B/R by Eric Pincus-

Pincus is so bad at this

Or rather, not as good at this as he thinks he is.

- Breathe -

[Tom White]

Pincus is so bad at this

Or rather, not as good at this as he thinks he is.

Agree. I remember years ago, when I used to frequent the Pacers Digest forum, he would show up there with some crazy trade scenario he said he had become privy to, claiming to be a "Lakers insider" with information that no one else had. He would then go on to tell the board that it was a "done deal" and the Pacers had no choice but to go along with it because, well, the Lakers get what they want and we were nobody to challenge that. Obnoxious is a word that came to mind.

I actually got into a bit of trouble over there because I told him he was full of crap (didn't really put it that nicely) and should take a long walk off a short pier. Some of them took everything he said as gospel. It was just sad to see.

[Scoot McGroot]

Pincus is so bad at this

Or rather, not as good at this as he thinks he is.

Agree. I remember years ago, when I used to frequent the Pacers Digest forum, he would show up there with some crazy trade scenario he said he had become privy to, claiming to be a "Lakers insider" with information that no one else had. He would then go on to tell the board that it was a "done deal" and the Pacers had no choice but to go along with it because, well, the Lakers get what they want and we were nobody to challenge that. Obnoxious is a word that came to mind.

I actually got into a bit of trouble over there because I told him he was full of crap (didn't really put it that nicely) and should take a long walk off a short pier. Some of them took everything he said as gospel. It was just sad to see.

He was visiting here during the JO trade era, too. Probably peddling the same rumors. I think his account here was banned?

[Tom White]

He was visiting here during the JO trade era, too.

I think that was one of the stories he was spreading at PD. Just goofy.

Probably peddling the same rumors. I think his account here was banned?

Banning would have been a wise move.

[Solid]

The sun has come out and I can not shade my optimism.
The Pacers third star is their bench. Teams will have to run their starters big minutes, or lose. 4th Q our guys will be fresh. We'll regularly have some guy feasting that was just not accounted for
Pascal's D will bounce back because he won't have to play 40 minutes. We'll play harder, not longer. Team D will improve as all our futile "helping" to cover the obvious hole is no longer necessary.
We get to shake things out this year. Get playoff experience, and keep developing our youth. We'll have a very nice selection of guys in the summer to choose from. Guys that will see the fun and gun winners here, and line up to chink any of our holes.
The growth each year by our talented youngsters will add more value than any middling picks.
Our only problem is how to pay for all our burgeoning talent.

[Pacers Forever]

The sun has come out and I can not shade my optimism.
The Pacers third star is their bench. Teams will have to run their starters big minutes, or lose. 4th Q our guys will be fresh. We'll regularly have some guy feasting that was just not accounted for
Pascal's D will bounce back because he won't have to play 40 minutes. We'll play harder, not longer. Team D will improve as all our futile "helping" to cover the obvious hole is no longer necessary.
We get to shake things out this year. Get playoff experience, and keep developing our youth. We'll have a very nice selection of guys in the summer to choose from. Guys that will see the fun and gun winners here, and line up to chink any of our holes.
The growth each year by our talented youngsters will add more value than any middling picks.
Our only problem is how to pay for all our burgeoning talent.

Hopefully this team becomes so good that some players will take discounts to fill out the roster joining our top players. Can only dream