What Will It Take For Pacers To Stay Contenders? Former GM Explains
Key takeaways
- Sports Money What Will It Take For Pacers To Stay Contenders?
- Across the last three NBA postseasons, the Pacers are the only team that has beaten the New York Knicks – the current NBA Champions – in a series.
- “We feel like we have a team [that]… We’re in that [contention] mix when we’re healthy,” Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said earlier in the offseason.
Sports Money What Will It Take For Pacers To Stay Contenders? Former GM Explains By Tony East,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tony East is an Indiana-based writer who covers the Pacers and Fever.Follow Author Jun 16, 2026, 03:30pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JUNE 13: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers reacts during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 13, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Getty ImagesINDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers just won 19 games. They lost a lot, often consecutively. And yet they enter the offseason as contending hopefuls, and for good reasons.
Across the last three NBA postseasons, the Pacers are the only team that has beaten the New York Knicks – the current NBA Champions – in a series. Tyrese Haliburton has yet to lose a best-of-seven set that he finishes healthy. Indiana was a playoff force in 2024 and 2025, and with Haliburton returning from injury next season they hope to be one again in 2027.