Next steps for Pacers: Lock down Pascal Siakam, make another big move

Take stock

Indiana didn't clear out its cache of young players when it traded for Siakam — it still has Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard, all of whom showed they can stay on the court in high-level playoff situations. 

Jarace Walker was buried on the bench a lot of the season, but the 2023 eighth overall pick is overflowing with talent. This team has a lot of youth to work with, and it can either try to develop that youth or...

Go star hunting again

The hardest leap to make in the NBA is the one from a borderline great team to a bona fide contender.

Indiana has the pieces to be the former but should try to replicate the Siakam trade to become the latter. Who the next star it acquires is to be determined, but in the modern NBA, a team seldom must wait long for a star to become available. 

There are rumblings about Jimmy Butler's future in Miami and former Pacer Paul George's future with the Los Angeles Clippers. Whether either of those players would be interested in donning a Pacer uniform is unknown. 

However, a big deal by the Pacers doesn't need to be this summer because we're always on the brink of another high-level player asking out of his situation. When that happens again, Indiana should be ready to pounce.

Decide on free agents

Obi Toppin and Doug McDermott will be unrestricted free agents this summer and Isaiah Jackson will have a team option of $4.4 million. None of these players will wreck Indiana's payroll, but every decision is important when you're at the Pacers' stage of team building. 

After his acquisition from San Antonio, McDermott played in 18 games for the Pacers, averaging 4.2 points and shooting 32.1 percent from three-point range and 40.6 percent overall. McDermott can shoot but will be hard-pressed to find minutes on a team already loaded with offensive firepower. The Pacers will let him walk.

Jackson (6.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG this season) is worth keeping. The third-year small forward from Kentucky has played unevenly through three seasons — he posted career lows in most categories in 2023-24 — but provided solid minutes in the playoffs. For under $5 million, Indiana should see if Jackson can bounce back in 2024-25. 

Toppin, Indiana's most important free agent besides Siakam, might have played himself out of the Pacers' pay range. In 2023-24, he shot a career-best 40.3 percent from deep and averaged double-figure scoring (10.3) for the first time, too. 

The Pacers undoubtedly want to bring him back, but Toppin can probably find a bigger role — and a bigger paycheck — elsewhere.