Indiana Pacers Urged to Sign Three-Time All-Star, ‘Zero Expectations…’ originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Next season, expect “experimentation” to be the name of the game for Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers. With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined for the season and no title hopes, the Pacers can use 2025-26 to answer any lingering questions.

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Is Bennedict Mathurin a long-term piece? Can Andrew Nembahard run point? Will Jarace Walker ever pan out? How good is Johnny Furphy, anyway?

With plenty of time to experiment and tinker, the Pacers have been urged to bring in perhaps one of the most divisive players in the league just to see if they can get him up to speed in a low-risk move.

With Haliburton out, the Pacers have a clear need for a true point guard, and there isn’t one with a higher upside and lower valleys than Ben Simmons.

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“I think there’s a perfect NBA team for him,” though.” wrote The Ringer’sMichael Pina. “One last chance for him to do something on a regular basis in a semi-relevant situation. Why not become the starting point guard for the Indiana Pacers? Throw Simmons the keys, ask him to impersonate Tyrese Haliburton, and just see what happens? This roster was built to accommodate and emphasize a pass-first point guard who races up and down the court.”

On paper, Simmons is a defensive upgrade, for sure, and a perfectly capable floor general, although his myriad of confidence issues and general offensive shortcomings have and will hold him back.

Still, with little to lose, it is an interesting idea. He is a three-time All-Star who was a consistent All-Defensive player. It’s hard not to wonder “what if.”

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“It’s a no-lose situation for Indy,” Pina added. “If Simmons stinks, no harm, no foul! He’d be on a veteran’s minimum contract for a team with zero expectations until Haliburton’s Achilles recovers.”

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.