Many knew that the Indiana Pacers were in for a significant fall-off following their miracle run to the 2026 NBA Finals that ended in heartbreak. Devastation might be the more apt word; not only did they lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a hard-fought seven-game series, they also lost Tyrese Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles, which forced their floor general to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign.
The Pacers’ season could not have ended in a worse spot from a win-loss standpoint. They fell off a cliff, winning just 19 games, and this was quite different considering that, historically, the Pacers don’t intentionally bottom out in the hopes of landing a top pick.
However, their dealings at the trade deadline meant that this was a necessary thing for them to do. They have the second-worst record in the NBA, behind just the Washington Wizards, which should help keep their pick within the top four. After all, they will be conveying their first-round pick this year to the Los Angeles Clippers if it lands outside the top four until the 10th pick courtesy of the Ivica Zubac trade.
But the makings are there for the Pacers to mount a drastic turnaround. The core pieces of the team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals are still there, and Zubac addresses their need for a starting center with Myles Turner having left.
Nonetheless, fine-tuning the team and making a few more changes on the margins might prove helpful, especially with Haliburton surely needing time to hit his stride after such a lengthy absence.
With that said, here are a few players the Pacers must and must not trade now that their offseason is upon them.
Pacers’ core players are safe
Safe from trade: Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Ivica Zubac, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin
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It should go without saying that Haliburton is as safe from a trade as it can get. There is no way the Pacers are giving up on him, not when they’ve been building the team around him and they’ve been waiting patiently for him to return to the hardwood.
Siakam has been the best soldier the Pacers could ever ask for. He kept his head down and kept on doing his best on the court despite Indiana’s rough season, and the team has to be excited at the prospect of making him taste winning basketball once more.
Zubac was the Pacers’ big acquisition this year, and Indiana would want to see how he meshes with the rest of the team before even thinking about maybe pursuing an upgrade. Nembhard, Nesmith, McConnell, and Toppin are all on bargain contracts as battle-tested players who’ve proven in the past that they can hang with the best under the bright playoff lights.
Seriously, there is going to be no urgency for the Pacers to even think about trading any of these seven players. These players are under contract for at least two more seasons, giving Indiana a solid two-year contending window.
If anything, McConnell’s age could be worrisome for Indiana (he’s already 34). But he’s a beloved veteran in the locker room, and no one would soon forget how he carried the team for stretches in the NBA Finals with the way he maneuvered with the ball, got to his spot, and got buckets.
There is a strong chance the Pacers add a talented rookie to the mix, but there’s no better way to bed in someone like Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, or AJ Dybantsa than to have them learn from veterans who know how to win.
Role players up in the air, but not safe
Up in the air: Ben Sheppard, Jay Huff, Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson, Micah Potter
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The Pacers’ losing ways in 2026 have at least given the team a chance to hold auditions for spots on next year’s roster. Game-to-game performance isn’t the be-all, end-all; fit on next year’s team is going to be important for the front office in terms of assessing which players to keep.
Sheppard is the likeliest to stay among this bunch; he played significant minutes in the Pacers’ playoff run in 2025, and as a low-usage, 3-and-D player, he is exactly the kind of piece teams need to plug and play as needed. But he’ll be a free agent next year, which always complicates things.
Huff played in all 82 games for the Pacers this year, and while he didn’t separate himself as the team’s undisputed starting center despite getting all the opportunities in the world, he proved that he can be at least a consistent rotation player. He can block shots, hit some threes, and throw down some nasty reverse jams, and he’s the frontrunner to secure the backup job behind Zubac next season.
Furphy is a former first-round pick who’s currently on the mend with a torn ACL, and it would be harsh to cut him while he’s rehabbing. He has little-to-no trade value anyway while he’s injured.
Jackson and Potter have benefitted from the Pacers being shorthanded this season. Jackson can get buckets. Potter has a well-rounded offensive game for a big man. If anything, the former is more likely to get cut/traded away due to the Pacers’ guard depth, while the latter has a good chance of being Indiana’s third-string center.
Indiana’s trade candidates
Trade candidates: Jarace Walker, Kam Jones
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One might be surprised as to why Walker is a trade candidate for the Pacers. He has prototypical size for a combo forward, and he can provide an extra offensive punch in a pinch. Walker, however, will be entering the final year of his contract. And the Pacers, much like they did with Bennedict Mathurin, may have to deal him away before having to pony up on an extension.
Unlike Sheppard, who is also a free agent at the end of next season, Walker could command a pricey enough extension to drive the Pacers away, seeing as his counting stats are much better than Sheppard’s.
If the Pacers manage to draft a wing with their first-round pick in this year’s draft, it becomes all the more likely that Walker is not long for the team.
Many knew that the Indiana Pacers were in for a significant fall-off following their miracle run to the 2026 NBA Finals that ended in heartbreak. Devastation might be the more apt word; not only did they lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a hard-fought seven-game series, they also lost Tyrese Haliburton to a ruptured Achilles, which forced their floor general to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign.