The Pacers are back in the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history, and while some may be surprised by Indiana’s run to basketball’s biggest stage, it has been in the making for several years — and only accelerated during an Eastern Conference Finals run in 2024.
Historically, the Pacers have been too successful to make high draft picks, and Indiana has not been a destination for high-profile free agents. As such, the franchise’s front office has assembled a team capable of making the Finals through savvy decisions, from solid draft picks to calculated trades.
As a result, Indiana has made a Finals run with a unique blend of talent — while eight players were acquired by the franchise on draft night, the highest draft pick on the roster was selected sixth overall, and its top two players were acquired via trade.
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Here is how the Pacers assembled their roster.
How the Pacers were built
Indiana’s back-to-back deep runs in 2024 and 2025 are a massive leap after the team experienced a three-year postseason drought from 2021 to 2023. During that stretch, the Pacers made some of the most crucial moves to set up this run, with the final home run move coming last season.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest moves, beginning with the starting lineup.
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Pascal Siakam trade
Date: Jan. 17, 2024
After Indiana burst on the scene as a sneaky contender early in the 2023-24 season, it made a big swing to acquire Siakam from the Raptors in a major trade. The deal accelerated Toronto’s rebuild, and the Pacers did not disrupt the team’s core to bring in a player of Siakam’s caliber.
Pacers acquire: Pascal Siakam, second-round pick (via Pelicans)
Raptors acquire: Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr. (via Pelicans), 2024 first-round pick (via Pacers), 2024 first-round pick (from Jazz, Rockets, Clippers or Thunder via Pacers), 2026 first-round pick (via Pacers)
MORE: Pascal Siakam adds Eastern Conference Finals MVP to impressive NBA resume
Acquiring Aaron Nesmith from Celtics
Date: July 9, 2022
Nesmith, a former lottery pick, did not live up to expectations in Boston due to the Celtics’ crowded perimeter rotation. While some considered him a “throw-in,” Nesmith was the prospect Indiana made sure to acquire when parting ways with veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Pacers acquire: Aaron Nesmith, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Nik Stauskas, Daniel Theis, 2023 first-round pick (via Celtics)
Celtics acquire: Malcolm Brogdon
Andrew Nembhard draft
Date: June 23, 2022
The Pacers used the first pick in the second round of the 2022 draft, which originally belonged to Houston, to make an incredible value pick. Nembhard was fresh off a standout season at Gonzaga, and the Pacers showed their belief in him by giving him a four-year, $8.6 million contract, an unprecedented deal for a second-round pick.
Tyrese Haliburton-Domantas Sabonis trade
Date: Feb. 8, 2022
At the 2022 trade deadline, the Pacers moved on from Domantas Sabonis, sending him to the Kings in the deal that brought Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana. Haliburton was in his second NBA season, and while he showed star potential, he was limited in his growth alongside another ball-dominant guard in De’Aaron Fox.
The result was Haliburton finding a new NBA home.
Pacers acquire: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson, 2027 second-round pick
Kings acquire: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday
Selecting Myles Turner in 2015
Date: June 25, 2015
Turner is the longest-tenured member of the Pacers and, over 10 seasons, has moved into the top 10 in several statistical categories, including being first all-time on the franchise’s blocks list. While he has never been an All-Star, Turner is a two-time blocks champion and has been the lone constant through multiple eras of Pacers basketball despite frequent trade rumors.
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The highest draft pick since 1988
Date: June 23, 2022
Believe it or not, Bennedict Mathurin is the highest draft pick the Pacers have made in over 35 years.
Indiana last made a top-five selection in 1988, and Mathurin fell right outside of there, going No. 6 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Injury held him out of the 2024 postseason, but he’s made up for lost time in 2025 as a lethal scoring option for the Pacers’ second unit.
Bringing in Obi Toppin
Date: July 7, 2023
Less than three years after he was the Knicks’ top-10 pick, Toppin was headed to a new home in Indiana.
Toppin had a solid start to his career in New York, but an impending contract extension and a crowded frontcourt made him the odd man out. The Pacers did not part ways with any players to acquire him and the move has paid off tenfold.
Pacers acquire: Obi Toppin
Knicks acquire: 2028 second-round pick, 2029 second-round pick
Finding culture fits
Indiana’s rotation is rounded out by a group of players who were acquired through various means, but each player has contributed to the team’s culture.
Veteran guard T.J. McConnell is the oldest player in the rotation and the second-longest tenured player on the roster, joining Indiana as a free agent in 2019. James Johnson, 38, is one of the oldest players in the NBA, and while he only plays when the game is out of reach, his veteran presence has proven invaluable.
The Pacers rounded out their frontcourt rotation with two swings that paid off — the December trade to bring in Indiana alum Thomas Bryant and the March signing of Tony Bradley, a former first-round pick who had gone two years without appearing in an NBA game.
That duo of bigs had major moments in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Bryant being one of two players on the roster with championship experience.
MORE: Thomas Bryant comes up big in Game 6 vs. Knicks
Pacers roster for 2025 NBA Finals
| Player | Age | Acquired via | Date |
| Tony Bradley | 27 | Free agency | 03/02/25 |
| Thomas Bryant | 27 | Trade with Heat | 12/15/24 |
| RayJ Dennis* | 24 | Free agency | 01/03/25 |
| Enrique Freeman* | 24 | 2024 NBA Draft (50th pick) | 06/27/24 |
| Johnny Furphy | 20 | Acquired draft rights from Spurs | 07/06/24 |
| Tyrese Haliburton | 25 | Trade with Kings | 02/08/22 |
| Isaiah Jackson | 23 | Acquired draft rights from Lakers | 08/06/21 |
| Quenton Jackson* | 26 | Free agency | 03/04/24 |
| James Johnson | 38 | Free agency | 09/15/22 |
| Bennedict Mathurin | 22 | 2022 NBA Draft (6th pick) | 06/23/22 |
| T.J. McConnell | 33 | Free agency | 07/29/19 |
| Andrew Nembhard | 25 | 2022 NBA Draft (31st pick) | 06/23/22 |
| Aaron Nesmith | 25 | Trade with Celtics | 07/09/22 |
| Ben Sheppard | 23 | 2023 NBA Draft (26th pick) | 06/22/23 |
| Pascal Siakam | 31 | Trade with Raptors | 01/17/24 |
| Obi Toppin | 27 | Trade with Knicks | 07/07/23 |
| Myles Turner | 29 | 2015 NBA Draft (11th pick) | 06/25/15 |
| Jarace Walker | 21 | Acquired draft rights from Wizards | 06/22/23 |
*Denotes Two-Way contract
