3. Semi-Rebuilding
After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs, Indiana fired Head Coach Nate McMillan. In his four seasons with the Pacers, McMillan went 183-136, winning 57.4% of his team’s games. Indiana made the playoffs each year, but McMillan’s squads went 3-16 in the postseason and never got past the first round.
Even if Victor Oladipo gets healthy and enters the 2020 regular season with a chip on his shoulder, the Pacers aren’t a championship contender. They lack the front office of Miami, the versatility of Boston, the star power of Brooklyn, and Toronto’s coaching.
Barring some drastic changes, the Pacers are not winning an NBA Championship in the near future, especially not next season. If that’s the case, why bother keeping Oladipo around for another year? If the Pacers can flip the former All-Star for rebuilding pieces, then they should pull the trigger on a potential deal.
Between Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and T.J. Warren, Indiana has a stable core. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference, let alone the West. The Pacers won’t have a championship team until long after Oladipo is out of town.
