Pacers fans should feel let down by their franchise

Fans of the Indiana Pacers waited 25 years to see their team return to the NBA Finals last season, and it looks like they could be waiting another quarter-century for a shot at that elusive Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The organization has recently made some questionable calls that portend a bleak future. First, they let Tyrese Haliburton play through a calf injury in the NBA Finals despite the warning signs. Then, they let Myles Turner, their third-best player from last season's magical playoff run, walk as a free agent to avoid paying the luxury tax.

Myles Turner felt betrayed by Pacers

The pair of decisions means the Pacers will not only endure a gap year in 2025-26 but also swim in mediocrity for the foreseeable future. 

Pacers fans should feel all the more livid when they understand the circumstances behind Turner's exit. According to the sharpshooting big man, the Pacers decided they weren't going to pay him the second Haliburton suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.

"All everybody told me was, 'Myles, just keep your head down. Keep your head down and work. You're going to get taken care of,'" he told the "Thanalysis Show," via RealGM. "...Then, the unfortunate situation happens in the Finals with Tyrese, and I guess the front office and ownership just changed their mind. It was like, 'Yeah ... we told you all those things. And yeah ... you helped us get to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals ... but ... we had to pivot.'"

Not a good look for the Pacers 

In the candid conversation with Milwaukee Bucks teammate Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Turner said he felt deeply hurt because the Pacers paid T.J. McConnell, Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam the year before but didn't extend him the same favor when his contract was up.

Turner's comments portray the Pacers as a cutthroat organization that doesn't value its loyal soldiers. That point is even more relevant given that Turner, who was drafted No. 11 by the Pacers in 2015, was the longest-tenured member of the team that made it to the Finals. Also worth highlighting is that Turner was the most animated of all Pacers when they beat the New York Knicks to reach the Finals. 

"Y'all been rocking with me for 10 years, man," Turner told the fans after the Pacers won the Eastern Conference Finals. "I got nothing but love and respect for this city, this team, and this organization."

Turner truly loved the city of Indiana, but got cast out in the blink of an eye. The Pacers' unfair treatment of him could hurt their chances of recruiting players in the future, as a level of trust may be broken.

The Pacers (0-4) have yet to win a game in the new season.