The Indiana Pacers have shocked the basketball world this season, and they might do so in the offseason, too.
After an insane comeback victory over the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are three wins away from the first NBA title in franchise history.
Could Indiana really pull off the unthinkable and win it all?
The Pacers are still facing an uphill battle versus a historically strong Thunder squad that remains the overwhelming favorite despite the Game 1 collapse.
Nonetheless, what Haliburton and Co. have accomplished already over the past two playoffs has many NBA observers thinking about the team’s future.
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Haliburton, the franchise cornerstone, is only 25 years old, and Indiana has him under contract until the 2028-29 season. He’s untouchable.
Beyond Haliburton, though, the Pacers could go in a lot of different directions when it comes to building a perennial contender around the six-foot-five point guard.
The first chess piece to consider is Pascal Siakam, 31, whose four-year, $189 million deal has him tied to Indiana through the 2027-28 season. Siakam is set to make — over the next three years — $45.6 million, $48.9 million, and $52.3 million.
If the Pacers win the title this month, Indiana’s front office will make Siakam untouchable (joining him with Haliburton), eyeing a repeat title in 2025-26 with the same core.
But if the Pacers fall to OKC (as is expected), Indiana wouldn’t feel obligated to hang up on Siakam trade requests; in fact, it might even begin wondering whether or not moving Siakam for a more brilliant piece is the move required to take the Pacers to the promised land.
Conveniently for Indiana, there is a superstar wing out there looking to join a contender, and his name is Kevin Durant.
While the Phoenix Suns will be fielding a ton of juicy offers for KD this summer, Indiana could put its chips on the table with an offer of Siakam, Jarace Walker, and two unprotected first-rounders (2029, 2031).
Although Phoenix is unlikely to take this package over superior hauls from teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, it would be a fascinating outcome for the Pacers if they landed Durant.
Indiana would essentially be renting KD and his expiring deal ($54.7 million next season) for a one-year title chase. The Pacers would be adding one of history’s most gifted scorers to a team that has been on the cusp of a championship for two seasons running.
The best case scenario? Durant becomes the missing piece the Pacers needed, and they win the title in 2025-26 powered by KD and Haliburton.
And if the experiment didn’t work out, Indiana could let Durant walk in the summer of 2026, opening up a ton of cap space for the club to re-tool around Haliburton.
Again, Phoenix will receive better offers than what Indiana can provide, but crazier things have happened in recent and distant NBA history. What if Durant specifically requested a trade to the Pacers, for example?
Anything is possible! (Kevin Garnett voice).
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