Pacers Have No Internal Starting Center Options

Pacers Have No Internal Starting Center Options

Who Will Start At Center?

With Haliburton’s unfortunate major injury, at least Indiana has a couple guys who can take his place with the starters. Andrew Nembhard could slide over to point guard, and they also roster one of the best backup point guards in T.J. McConnell. Obviously, they wouldn’t replace everything Haliburton brings to the table, but they wouldn’t be fully out of place as a starting point guard.

Looking at the Pacers roster, there isn’t any great options to take over as the starting center for Turner. The backup bigs during the playoffs, Thomas Bryant and Tony Bradley, are both unsigned free agents. Indiana may feel more inclined to bring at least one of them back due to Turner exiting, but they likely won’t command more than a veteran’s minimum deal. Both are best served coming off the bench.

Bryant and Bradley weren’t even on the Pacers roster to start last season. Bryant was acquired in a trade from the Miami Heat. Bradley remained unsigned until March, when he signed a couple 10-day contracts with Indiana before signing for the rest of the season. They were needed because the Pacers depth chart at center was compromised. James Wiseman (later traded to the Toronto Raptors and subsequently waived) tore his Achilles in the season opener. Isaiah Jackson did likewise in the sixth game.

Indiana did extend a qualifying offer to Jackson, making him a restricted free agent. He never played more than 16.5 minutes per contest in his first three full seasons. Even if the Pacers re-sign him, ideally, he would come off the bench.

Not Much Available In Free Agency

Numerous centers who could be seen as starting material have agreed to new deals during free agency. They include Brook Lopez (Los Angeles Clippers), Clint Capela (Houston Rockets), Kevon Looney (New Orleans Pelicans), and Luke Kornet (San Antonio Spurs).

The few available centers still out there include Deandre Ayton, Al Horford, Jaxson Hayes, and Moritz Wagner. The Pacers previously gave Ayton an offer sheet in restricted free agency that was matched by the Phoenix Suns. It is doubtful that Horford, approaching the age of 40, would want to join the Pacers.

All the momentum that Indiana built during their NBA Finals run has been lost. Perhaps they can find a center in a trade, but Pacers fans certainly weren’t expecting Turner to leave for a team Indiana has eliminated in the playoffs the past two years.