For the first time since the Indiana Pacers lost their 2026 NBA Draft pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan publicly addressed the lottery fallout and where the franchise goes from here during an appearance with JMV on 107.5 The Fan.
Buchanan is currently at the NBA Draft Combine evaluating the 2026 NBA Draft class alongside Kevin Pritchard, Ted Wu, and other scouts from the organization.
This is an important event to attend, with or without a first- or second-round pick, because every NBA executive is present, along with player agents and league officials.
It’s the perfect opportunity to gauge the market, evaluate what’s available, and determine who might be interested in joining your team.
When discussing how the Pacers can retool their roster this offseason without a draft pick, Buchanan shared an optimistic tidbit from the NBA Draft Combine:
“A big part of the pre-draft camp here in Chicago this week is meeting with agents and talking about interest in our team and fits with our team. I would say this, we’re a very appealing destination with where we’re at with this group.”
When I heard this, I had to rewind and listen again. Did I hear that correctly? Did Chad Buchanan really say that the small-market Indiana Pacers are an appealing destination?
He certainly did — and he elaborated on why players are interested in joining the Pacers.
“The style of basketball we play, playing for Coach Carlisle, playing in Indiana, they’ve seen this team over the previous two years and the run they made. There’s a lot of interest from players and free agents to be a Pacer.”
This is the power of building a winning organization. When you construct a team capable of competing for a championship, players want to be part of it.
Oct 30, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle and guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) look on in the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
While portions of the national media are up in arms about the Pacers trading the No. 5 pick in the NBA Draft for Ivica Zubac, players and agents are seeing a franchise willing to make aggressive moves to put itself in position to compete for a title.
But are the Pacers actually willing to spend the limited money they have available and make moves that could push them into the first or second apron?
Here is what Buchanan told JMV about potentially becoming a luxury-tax team for the first time in 21 years:
“Our ownership wants to compete for a championship. That’s something we have discussions about all the time. And if it’s the right player and the right contract, I think Herb and Steve Simon, the family wants to win a championship for all of our fans and this community. We’re going to be aggressive, but it’s got to be the right decision for the long-term health of the team.”
Pacers Front Office | Joe Robbins/Getty Images
This sounds like Buchanan signaling that the Pacers could be busier this offseason than fans may expect, but they are still focused on making moves that won’t damage the organization long term. That sounds more like shorter-term contracts that won’t cost the franchise future assets.
Buchanan added even more context to Indiana’s willingness to spend additional money this offseason:
“We don’t want to do something that limits us moving forward, but we also want to make the moves that put us in contention to compete for a championship.”
I like this approach from the Pacers, but the track record shows this organization has typically prioritized avoiding the luxury tax while targeting players on team-friendly contracts.
When asked by JMV about how close Indiana already is to the luxury tax, Buchanan broke down the differences between being a luxury-tax team and becoming a first- or second-apron team:
“I think that’s a very real possibility. There’s a lot of different moves that can be made this offseason, whether it be trades or free agency, that impact where you’re at relative to the luxury tax, and then the first apron and then the second apron above that. You want to be smart in the sense to not hamstring yourself by going into these aprons. These aprons can be very restrictive on how you build your team, so we’ve got to be conscious of that.”
This is the most important nugget from the entire conversation. The Pacers want to be aggressive and build the best roster possible to compete for a championship, but they also do not want to restrict future flexibility by becoming a first- or second-apron team.
The projected first apron sits around $209 million, and the Pacers are currently at $200,752,777 in total salary commitments for next season. That gives Indiana roughly $8 million in flexibility to make signings while staying below the first apron. However, the Pacers can also create additional flexibility through trades or by waiving non-guaranteed contracts.
Buchanan closed his thoughts on the luxury tax with this:
“Mr. Simon and all our front office, we want to be aggressive and try to put this team in the best position to win a championship. Spending smartly and spending wisely will be a part of that, but we realize where we’re at with our timeline.”
I love that Buchanan essentially told JMV the same thing three different times. But this message should signal to Pacers fans that the organization is determined to get back to the NBA Finals, and it’s showing franchise superstar Tyrese Haliburton just how much belief it has in him and this core by preparing to make the necessary moves to compete for a championship.
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