The Indiana Pacers have had quite an eventful offseason, filled with many interesting moves to prepare them for a new era.

The reshuffling of the roster began when David West turned down $11 million to play for a contending team instead, leaving Indiana with plenty of cap room to make other moves. The Pacers did not wait too long to score a top free agent, as they signed scoring guard Monta Ellis.

Ellis, although undersized, is a sensational scorer and finisher at the basket. He will definitely help Indiana’s struggling offense from last season and will easily fit in to the run-and-gun offensive scheme the Pacers will implement this year.

After losing West, the Pacers figured they needed to part ways with Roy Hibbert as well since his $15 million contract was chewing up their cap space. Indiana packaged Hibbert to the Los Angeles Lakers basically for cap relief.

With the extra money, Indiana retained a couple of its own free agents to shore up their roster. They re-signed Lavoy Allen, Rodney Stuckey, and Shayne Whittington to bargain deals, and later added Jordan Hill to compensate for the losses of Hibbert and West.

Allen, an undersized power forward/center, is a hardnosed player with a solid mid-range jumper. His ability to play both the four and the five is going to give Indiana a lot of flexibility this upcoming season since they plan to play small-ball. Stuckey, meanwhile, impressed Indiana with his fine scoring ability and aggressive nature. He figures to play a combo guard role off the bench during the forthcoming year.

Hill, the energetic big man, will supply Indiana with adequate rebounding and defense. The 6-foot-10 hardworking big is known for his hustle and has a knack for grabbing offensive rebounds. Over the years, Hill has also improved his mid-range shooting which helped him achieve a career-high 12.0 points per game last season. He will make for a nice fit in the new up-tempo offense and will win the hearts of Pacers fans with his never-ending energy.    

Indiana also completed a minor move that will not exactly strengthen their roster, but rather add depth at the wing. They acquired Chase Budinger from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Damjan Rudez. Budinger is a three-point shooting small forward who also possesses great athleticism, while Rudez is a streaky shooter who did not earn enough time with Indiana.

The NBA draft is where the Pacers shined the most. They chose Myles Turner and Joseph Young with the 11th and 43rd overall pick, respectively. Both players excelled during Summer League play. Young led the Orlando Summer League with 22.5 points per contest, while Turner averaged 18.7 points which was third best.

Turner also fascinated Indiana fans with his outstanding defense, blocking 4.3 shots and nabbing 8.3 rebounds. There had been a lot of hype surrounding Turner due to his defensive prowess, and the young 19-year old did not disappoint, at least during Summer League action.

Many are already considering Turner as a significant upgrade over Hibbert in the near future, and his ability to run the floor is crucial to the fast-paced offense designated for the new season.

To fill in the remainder of their roster, Indiana acquired rookie Rakeem Christmas via trade and Glen Robinson III via free agency. The two aren’t expected to be a part of Frank Vogel’s rotation and may end up spending time in the D-League to enhance their skills.

The Pacers are done with their smashmouth, traditional style of play and are going to switch to the trendy small-ball style instead. They used the offseason to collect pieces that would fit the bill and have maintained a good enough level of talent to possibly earn them a playoff spot this year.

Off-Season Grade: B 

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About the author
Vahan Shakhpazyan
Vahan Shakhpazyan loves the NBA with a passion and has been an avid follower for 18 years. He is a UCR graduate with a BA degree in Creative Writing. The man behind the Facebook page NBA updates.