INDIANAPOLIS — While he was processing the disappointment in the immediate aftermath of the NBA Draft Lottery that left him without a pick in the 2026 draft, Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard indicated that everything, at this point, is still on the table for this summer.
“We’re in win-now,” Pritchard said. “We’re going to try to make moves this summer. Maybe around the edges, maybe big. We’ll see about that.”
Pritchard made more indications about what might guide his thinking, noting that he viewed the likely return of seven core players, including six who were key to the Pacers’ 2025 NBA Finals run, as the biggest reason for his optimism going into 2026-27. That seemed to suggest that starters Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Ivica Zubac, and key bench pieces Obi Toppin and T.J. McConnell are off the table in terms of trade considerations. If they are, that would seem to limit the Pacers’ opportunities to swing big in either trades or free agency as they are the seven players the Pacers have who make $10 million or more per year and they combine to take up about $175 million in projected cap space, which alone puts them well above the projected $165 million salary cap.
“Our top seven or eight players are still with us,” Pritchard said. “… Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship. They’ve proven they can do it and we’ve added a really good center in Zu.”
Still, Pritchard has made unexpected moves before. This roster has largely been built on bold moves with Haliburton, Siakam, Zubac, Nesmith and Toppin having been brought in by way of trades.
“I never feel like you can slow play your way into success in this league,” Pritchard said. “You have to swing.”
After looking at big moves here are some less expensive players the Pacers could target.
A Trade Target That Won’t Cost a Top-Seven Player — Max Strus
What it would take: Cavs get Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard. Pacers could possibly also get draft capital.
Outlook: If Pritchard does in fact consider preserving his top seven players to be priority one, then the most important roster hole he has to fill is second-unit shooting guard. Acquiring Zubac cost him Bennedict Mathurin, who wasn’t a perfect fit with the Pacers’ system but was a combustible scorer who averaged 16.1 points per game in his time with the Pacers including 17.8 per game in 2025-26. McConnell and Toppin are both capable bench scorers, but they could use a scoring option in the second unit who can get create his own opportunities and also fit into the system.
Sacramento’s Malik Malik Monk fits that description best. He led the NBA in total points off the bench in 2022-23 and 2023-24, finishing in the top five in Sixth Man of the Year voting both seasons. He started 45 games in 2024-25 and averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game, then returned to the bench this season and finished eighth in the league in total bench points. However, Monk is due just under $20.2 million this season with a player option over $21.5 million for 2027-28. Giving the Kings Walker and Sheppard is enough of a salary match that the deal would go through, but if they also let forward Kobe Brown walk in free agency they would add $6.7 million in salary and still have two remaining open contract. Signing two players at the minimum would put them over the first luxury apron and create restrictions going forward which is a move that might not be worth it. .
The Pacers could try to pry Max Strus from the Cavaliers with Walker and Sheppard. He’s not quite as prolific as an overall scorer as Monk, but he’s a more efficient shooter and a better defender and he’s due $16.67 million in 2026-7, so the Pacers would maintain some space below the first apron to make some moves. Strus averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season and shot 40.2% from the floor. The move would save Cleveland about $3.2 million and they need any help they can get if James Harden intends to pick up his player option or they intend to sign him to a longer-term deal. However, Strus’ contract will expire at the end of 2026-27, and if the Pacers are going to move two young talents — even though their deals are expiring at the end of the year — they might be interested in players they’d have a little more control over.
Oklahoma City’s Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe could both be potential targets in this category as well. Both saw their minutes cut in the playoffs as Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain emerged to more prominent roles in the backcourt. The Thunder could use some cap relief with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams all on max deals and offseason decisions coming on Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort.
Wiggins is under a guaranteed contract through 2027-28 with a club option for 2028-29. He’s due just over $9 million in 2026-27 so the Pacers could get him for just Walker. His numbers went down this season after he averaged 12.0 points per game in 2024-25, but he still averaged 9.4 per game and is a 38% career 3-point shooter. Joe, who has shot better than 40% from 3-point range in each of the last four seasons, is due just over $11.3 million. A trade straight up for Walker does work but would lead to the Pacers taking on a significant amount in salary with a roster space still to fill.
A Trade Target That Won’t Cost a Top-Eight Player — Dalton Knecht
What It Would Probably Take: The Lakers would get Ben Sheppard and draft capital, perhaps a second-round pick
Outlook: If the Pacers also want to keep Jarace Walker after his strong finish to his third season, their trade options decrease even further as the entire roster beyond him makes about $14.8 million per year combined. Their best options in that case are players on rookie-scale contracts who are unlikely to receive contract extensions from the teams that drafted them.
The Lakers’ Dalton Knecht fits that mold. He won’t be extension eligible for another year, but he fell out of the Lakers’ rotation almost entirely from mid-January on and played just 18 total minutes in the playoffs. The former Tennessee star had a 37-point game as a rookie in 2024-25 and several stretches of multi double-figure scoring games, but better health in 2025-26, and the addition of Luka Doncic, Luke Kennard and others kept him parked on the bench most of the year. He made his name as a shooter at Tennessee but struggled to make shots in limited opportunities, making just 34.2% of his 3s in 2025-26. After making just 6 of 27 3s in January, he was a combined 1 of 8 in February and March. He was 5 of 6 from 3-point range in the season’s final game, which is more than he made from the All-Star Break until that point.
Still, he’s on a cheap contract, he has a club option for 2027-28 and he might benefit from playing in the Pacers’ wide open system. On the flip side, the Lakers might be able to use Ben Sheppard’s defense off the bench.
Otherwise, there aren’t a lot of great options if the Pacers decide to go this route, making a trade without parting with any of their top eight. Toronto’s Gradey Dick could also be an option after he struggled in his third season. New Orleans Saddiq Bey is worth trying to work a deal for with his contract just under $6.6 million for 2026-27, but after he averaged 17.7 points per game in a resurgent 2025-26 season for him, it’s hard to imagine the Pelicans moving him at that salary.
Target for the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception — Khris Middleton
What it Would Take: Pacers trade Jarace Walker to a team with salary cap room, offer Middleton somewhere between $12 million to $15 million per year on a two-year deal.
Outlook: Middleton is the most experienced, proven free agent option among several the Pacers would have if they were able to clear up enough room under the first luxury tax apron to use all or at least most of the money available in the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Teams that are over the salary cap have access to the mid-level exception to add players over the cap. If they stay under the taxpayer level of that exception — which is expected to be about $6.1 million for the 2026-27 season — they aren’t hard-capped until the second apron. If they go beyond that up until the non-taxpayer exception — which this season is expected to be around $15.1 million — they are hard-capped at the first-apron, meaning they can’t spend beyond that for any reason.
As it stands, the Pacers are about $250,000 short of the luxury tax threshold going into the season and about $7.8 million short of the first apron. so they could technically use the non-taxpayer mid-level but only a little more than half of it and and if they used all they have they couldn’t add anyone else.
One option they would have to clear out enough room to use the full non-taxpayer mid-level would be to move Walker to a team with cap room. That way the Pacers wouldn’t have to take on a player to match salary and they could avoid the decision on a rookie-scale extension for Walker, who is heading into his fourth season. The extra $8.5 million in room would allow them to use the $15.1 million with a few hundred thousand dollars left to spare.
If they can swing that big, there could be several mid-level options free agent available, but Middleton seems to be the one most likely to be on the market. The three-time All-Star and 2021 Olympic gold medalist was traded to the Mavericks in February as part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Wizards. He made $35.1 million in the last year of his contract, but the Mavericks obviously have no interest in keeping him at that level after he averaged a modest 10.0 points per game in 29 contests with Dallas. Middleton turns 35 in August so he knows he’ll have to take a significant pay cut to stay in the league, but he’s still a capable shooter and scorer which would be worth a deal over $10 million.
There are several other likely free agent shooting guards who would seem to be gettable with non-taxpayer mid-level money. Anfernee Simons made $27.7 million with Boston and Chicago in 2025-26 but his 14.3 points per game on 44% shooting off the bench don’t quite justify keeping him at that salary level so he might take a paycut. Kevin Huerter, historically a sharpshooter, was off the mark late in the season after he was traded to Detroit, making just 29.4% of his 3-point attempts in 25 regular season games. The Pistons will probably let him walk and he’ll have to take a paycut from his $18 million salary.
Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million) and Kelly Oubre ($8.2 million) are both unrestricted free agents, and the 76ers might not be able to keep both. Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland both had strong playoff performances in the Timberwolves run to the Western Conference semifinals but Minnesota could let one or both of them walk as they try to make big moves to try to catch up to the Thunder and Spurs. Dosunmu might command beyond the mid-level and Hyland might be too ball-dominant to fit what the Pacers want, but they’re both worth calling on. The Lakers probably won’t let Luke Kennard walk, but he is set to be an unrestricted free agent after making $11 million this year. More could come available depending on player and club options.
Target for the taxpayer mid-level exception or veteran minimum — Jordan Clarkson
What it would take: About $5 million per year.
Outlook: One problem with dealing Walker to somebody with cap room is it would create one hole while filling another. Even if they were able to add a solid scorer with more salary, they’d have a new hole for a bigger wing and might find themselves in position of needing Sheppard to play the 3 off the bench as they wait for Furphy to return from an ACL tear.
So if they want to add a veteran shooting guard under the taxpayer mid-level that obviously shrinks their options. However, there are a few potential options for a shooting guard at or near the veteran minimum who can step up and put the bll in the hole.
Clarkson counts as one of those. He’ll get a chance to play in the NBA Finals with the Knicks, but his minutes have been limited in the playoffs and they might be willing to let him walk.
Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr. and Golden State’s DeAnthony Melton could also be possibilities around that same price point if they decline their player options. Denver’s Tim Hardaway Jr. and New York’s Landry Shamet were on veteran minimum deals this year and will probably be paid well to stay at their current spots after Hardaway finished top three in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting and Shamet’s white hot shooting helped the Knicks to an Eastern Conference FInals sweep. They might not be available but they do serve as a reminder that veteran minimum player can make a major impact.
The Pacers are also expected to at least explore the veteran minimum market for centers to see if they can acquire an upgrade over Jay Huff and Micah Potter. Potter has a club option for about $2.8 million, and it’s hard to get better than the 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game he averaged in 2025-26 with 42.3% 3-point shooting for that kind of money. However, the list of free agent centers that could could be had at or around the veteran minimum include Chicago’s Nick Richards, Dallas’ Dwight Powell, Atlanta’s Jock Landale or former Pacers center and Indiana University star and current Cavs big man Thomas Bryant.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Deeper look at Pacers’ offseason targets: Khris Middleton & more
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
