Just last season, the Indiana Pacers were one win away from being champions of the NBA world, one misstep, and here we are. One of the worst teams in the league this season, having only won 19 total games. Definitely a year that this franchise would like to forget. Little does this team know, this season could actually set them up to succeed for many years to come. How could a season so bad set up a team for years’ worth of winning? The NBA draft. It is one of the best ways to gain talent, and the rookies being on rookie contracts help with rounding out the roster with even more talent.
This 2026 NBA draft is one of the more loaded classes in years. Getting a top pick would mean everything for this Pacers squad, which already has the recipe for winning. A player in this draft that would fit perfectly with Indiana’s play style would be AJ Dybantsa. An athletic wing that likes to get out and run, and he is also a great scorer in the half-court. Another shot creator and lob threat for Haliburton to work with? Sounds like just what this team needs. Another thing that opened up with Haliburton’s Achilles injury is the fact that their starting center, Myles Turner, left in free agency.
This sort of forced the Pacers to go out and get a big man. They did so in acquiring Jay Huff, who was among the top of the league in blocks. He was great for Indiana all year, but if they wanted to make another run next season, they were going to need an upgrade in that position. They went out at the trade deadline and traded for Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers. Yes, they had to trade away Bennedict Mathurin, but there were reports that Indiana did not want to resign him anyway. This is a major upgrade for them, as you could argue that Zubac is a top ten center in the league.
Who knows, maybe if Haliburton doesn’t get injured, a lot of these roster changes might not happen. Myles Turner probably resigns with Indiana, Mathurin might not get traded, all because they would most likely end up a top seed in the Eastern conference. The Pacers have a great opportunity in front of them, but they do need the lottery balls to bounce their way. Just imagine they get a top pick in the draft and select Dybantsa. A lineup of Haliburton, Nembhard, Dybantsa, Siakam, and Zubac would surely have the entire league on notice.
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