Ranking Pacers' Top Trade Targets After 2025 NBA Playoff Finals Loss vs. Thunder
Regardless where external expectations were set ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season, the Indiana Pacers clearly motored past them.
As if that even needed mentioning after they outlasted the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game thrill ride and captured their first ever NBA title.
This season was a smashing success—full stop. Tyrese Haliburton delivered magical playoff moments, Pascal Siakam looked like a fully capable championship-level co-star and Indiana's depth and smart coaching filled in all cracks around the stars.
Unfortunately for Indiana, the outlook for next season is unclear after Haliburton's Achilles injury in Game 7 on Sunday night.
The long-term trajectory continues pointing up, though, particularly if Indy remains willing to cover the cost of talent retention (free agency awaits Myles Turner, after all). Even the short-term outlook isn't hopeless without Haliburton, as the Pacers have one of the Association's deeper guard groups.
Contending next season could be an impossible challenge without Haliburton, but the chances to field a competitive club then and becoming something more dangerous beyond it are still on the table. Indiana should look to seize those opportunities and can do so by looking for the right role players who can thrive in this system.
3. Draft picks
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No, this isn't an argument for Indiana to embrace backtracking, but the Pacers should still have an eye out for draft picks, particularly with next season appearing doomier and gloomier in light of Haliburton's injury.
They might foot a luxury tax bill for the first time in decades, so they'll want all of the cost-controlled talent they can get. The draft is the best method for finding that, and Indiana happens to be without its first-round pick in 2026 and its seconds in 2026 and 2027.
It's not a big enough concern to sacrifice a key contributor, but Indiana should be scanning for roster redundancies and non-necessities on the roster. Is Bennedict Mathurin a no-brainer keeper, or might this club be able to find an easier fit for the system? Are there long-term roles definitely awaiting Jarace Walker and Johnny Furphy?
These are tough conversations to add, but navigating them successfully could be key to the Pacers staying a step ahead of this restrictive collective bargaining agreement.
2. Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers
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While the Pacers hopefully won't need a Myles Turner replacement this offseason, they could be in the market for a new backup behind him.
Free agency awaits all three of Isaiah Jackson, Thomas Bryant and Tony Bradley. None of the three would be described as consistent, either.
If Indy could swing a deal for Drummond, who has a $5 million player option for next season, at least it would know what it can expect from its backup big man.
Drummond's skill set isn't enormous, but he's good at what he does, and he does it consistently. He's an expert rebounder (especially on the offensive glass) and a capable close-range finisher. Expecting more out of him would lead to disappointment, but if the Pacers want reliability from their reserves, Drummond could deliver.
1. Derrick Jones Jr., Los Angeles Clippers
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Assuming the Pacers get Turner re-signed, their biggest wish-list item might be a two-way wing with length and athleticism.
Jones checks all of those boxes. Plus, he's on a reasonable contract ($20.5 million for the next two seasons, per Spotrac) and would arrive with plenty of playoff experience, including a Finals trip.
His sporadic three-point shooting (career 32.5 percent) might be the only thing preventing him from becoming an ideal target for Indiana, but if he happened to be a lights-out shooter, he wouldn't fit this team's trade budget. Not when he's a versatile, pesky and disruptive defender who's also a highlight-waiting-to-happen in transition.
The Clippers probably aren't eager to let him go, but they also wouldn't consider him off-limits. They demoted him from their starting lineup late last season and further reduced his floor time in the playoffs, so they might prefer some of their internal alternatives on the wing. If he'd cost a reasonable price in a trade, the Pacers could get a ton of mileage out of him should they decide to rethink their perimeter rotation.
