Indiana Pacers 2026-27 NBA Preseason Preview

Everything that followed felt like a hangover. Myles Turner, the longest-tenured player on the roster, signed with the rival Milwaukee Bucks for $107 million after the Pacers were unwilling to give him that much in free agency. Without Haliburton and a large gap at center, Indiana finished 19-63 in the 2025-2026 season, the worst record in franchise history.

But that was always the plan. Sort of.

The Pacers treated 2025-26 as a gap year, biding time until their franchise point guard could return. They made one aggressive move at the deadline in acquiring Ivica Zubac from the Clippers. Indiana spent the rest of the season developing their younger players.

The lottery didn’t cooperate (more on that later), but the core that reached the Finals is largely intact and reinforced. Haliburton is back. Zubac is here. And expectations in Indiana are sky-high again.

Pacers’ Biggest Offseason Loss: The Full Cost of the Zubac Trade

Nominating Mathurin is admittedly cheating; the Pacers traded him at the February deadline, not during the summer. But the ripple effects of that deal define this offseason more than any other move.

To acquire Zubac (and Kobe Brown), Indiana sent Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-rounder to Los Angeles. The gamble was that their 2026 first-rounder (protected 1-4  and 10-30) would stay in house.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t. The pick landed at No. 5, just outside the protection, and was conveyed to the Clippers. In a draft class widely considered the deepest in years, Indiana walked away empty-handed.

However, the Pacers were perhaps alright with this. There was a clear top four in the draft: AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. After that, there was a significant drop-off. For the Pacers, anyone outside of that top-four would not have received meaningful minutes for a Pacers team full of depth.

Mathurin was averaging a career-best 17.8 points before the trade. But he was a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and Indiana did not think they’d have the money to sign him to a long-term deal, so they were fine to part ways with the scorer who did not really fit their system as a ball-dominant scorer.

Mathurin signed a relatively-cheap deal with the New Orleans Pelicans this summer after the Clippers let him walk. All-in-all, the trade still projects as a long-term win if Zubac and Haliburton click as a pick-and-roll tandem.

The other notable loss flew under the radar. Micah Potter, who emerged as a legitimate rotation piece during the tank year (9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 42.3% from three in 47 games), was waived in July to create the cap space needed to sign Larry Nance Jr.

Potter was claimed off waivers by Portland two days later. Losing a third-string stretch big shooting 52/42/84 for a 36-year-old on a minimum deal is a tradeoff the Pacers hope they won’t feel, but definitely could if they deal with more injuries this year.

Pacers’ Biggest Offseason Addition: Tyrese Haliburton

The actual biggest roster addition is Zubac. The biggest free-agent signing is Kelly Oubre Jr. (who signed for more money than Mathurin did). But the player who didn’t suit up last season and will make the biggest impact this year is Haliburton.

The numbers without him speak for themselves: 19 wins; 27th in points per game. Two losing streaks of 13 games and 16 games broke franchise records. All-Star Pascal Siakam was the best player on the floor every night, and even he couldn’t drag this roster to respectability without a lead guard who could orchestrate an offense.

Haliburton will be roughly 16 months removed from surgery when the season tips off in October. Advances in Achilles rehab offer reason for optimism, and his game — built on vision, shooting, and pace — rather than pure explosiveness should translate better post-injury than a typical downhill guard.

At Indiana’s media day on September 28, Haliburton made it clear he is fully recovered.

“I am healthy. I am 100%. There will be no restrictions,” he told reporters. “That is not news. There is no source. I am the source.”

Head coach Rick Carlisle was slightly more measured, saying the team would monitor his workload in consultation with the training staff, but the message was clear: “It really appears that he has made a great recovery and a great return to play. Do not anticipate a lot of limitations.”

This team’s offense is designed around Haliburton’s ability to push pace, find cutters and pull up from range. Without him, the Pacers had no engine.

With him, however, they have one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league.

Pacers’ Best-Case Scenario Outcome:

If Haliburton looks like the guy who hit game-winning shots in four consecutive playoff rounds before the injury, this team has a legitimate ceiling.

The Zubac-Haliburton pick-and-roll pairing has never played together in a real game, but on paper it’s a nightmare for opposing defenses. Zubac set the third-most on-ball screens in the league over the past two seasons and is one of the best roll men in basketball. Haliburton is one of the best passers. The fit is obvious.

Around them, the supporting cast is deep and experienced.

Siakam provides a go-to scorer in the half-court. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are proven playoff performers. Oubre and Obi Toppin add wing scoring off the bench. T.J. McConnell remains one of the best backup point guards in the league. Jarace Walker took a huge step forward during the gap year, averaging 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds after the All-Star break while shooting 39% from three.

In a best-case scenario, everything clicks relatively quickly, and the Pacers reclaim their spot as a top seed in the East, with a real chance to reach their second Finals appearance in the last three years.

Pacers’ Worst-Case Scenario Outcome:

The Achilles doesn’t cooperate.

That’s the nightmare, and it’s not unreasonable. Haliburton is 26 and modern medicine has come a long way, but Achilles injuries are still Achilles injuries. If he returns rusty, the offensive infrastructure falls apart. The Pacers don’t have another player on the roster who can replicate what he does as a creator and floor general.

The center depth is also concerning. Backup Jay Huff can stretch the floor and record a lot of blocks, but he is not a real impact player on either end of the floor. While Indiana can thrive with Toppin playing small-ball, against bigger teams like the San Antonio Spurs, the Pacers could struggle to collect rebounds. If Zubac’s inability to stretch the floor clogs the paint, the spacing issues could compound in a hurry.

There’s also the matter of continuity. Haliburton hasn’t taken a game rep in over a year, and Zubac played just five games in Indiana before getting shut down for the season due to injury. Carlisle’s coaching will be tested early, and with a difficult schedule to start the season (due to playing in the gauntlet that is Group B in the NBA Cup) the first 20 games could get ugly if the chemistry needs time to develop.

In a worst-case scenario, Haliburton’s recovery lingers and the new pieces don’t mesh. As a result, the Pacers find themselves in the Play-In tournament.

Pacers’ Biggest Question Heading Into 2026-27 Season:

Is Tyrese Haliburton still Tyrese Haliburton?

Everything funnels back to this. If he’s 90% of what he was before the injury, this is a 50-plus win team and an Eastern Conference contender. But if the burst is gone, the margin for error decreases on a roster that traded away significant assets to win now.

Haliburton has said all the right things during his recovery. The training videos look encouraging. But nobody knows the answer until the games start counting, and Indiana’s entire season — and its long-term future — is riding on it.