NBA: Grading every team’s 2023 offseason through the draft, free agency

Indiana Pacers

Biggest offseason moves: Signing Bruce Brown, drafting Jarace Walker, signing Tyrese Haliburton to a contract extension 

Heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, the Eastern Conference should absolutely be on high alert for how good the Indiana Pacers can be. They could emerge as a dark horse threat to make some serious noise in the postseason. If the Pacers can remain healthy, and their young core continues to take steps forward, there’s really not much standing in the way of Indiana being an absolute headache for some of the other contenders in the East.

And the Pacers will hopefully use their great offseason to get off to a good start to the regular season. Signing Bruce Brown will look like an overpay to some but it’s a short-term contract that would hinder the team’s salary cap much. Locking up Tyrese Haliburton as the team’s new face of the franchise was also a necessary move that they completed. With a need at the power forward position, the Pacers also drafted Jarace Walker with their top 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Pacers are in a good place in their rebuild and this could be the season that it finally begins to come all together for this team.

Grade: B+