Indiana Pacers
There were high hopes in Indiana coming into this NBA season. The team signed renowned head coach Rick Carlisle to a four-year deal worth $29 million. And they had a nice group of talented players that many media members were high on. Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, T.J. Warren, and Caris LeVert made up the core of what many expected to be a playoff team at the very least this season. Well, they have been the team some believed they could be to be it lightly.
Halfway through the season, the Pacers own the sixth-worst record in the league with a record of 15-27, twelve games below .500. What has plagued the Pacers this season? Everything.
Indiana is ranked in the bottom half of the league in every major offensive and defensive statistic. They are 3-11 in their last fourteen games including losers of seven of their last eight.
It’s clear that in order to get back to the playoffs, Indiana will need to make some drastic moves. Moving veterans like Sabonis, Turner, LeVert, Warren, and Brogdon seems to be the best move for this franchise. However, Indiana has been known to never partake in a full-fledged tank job, so don’t expect them to pull a Sam Presti and trade everything or draft capital. It remains to be seen what Indiana does at the trade deadline but one thing is for sure: this season has been a disappointment for the Pacers.