4. Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are on the edge of the rebuild precipice, and the moment Paul George is finally traded, they’ll take the leap off a cliff. When that happens, overpaying to retain unrestricted free agent Jeff Teague will hardly be a priority.
If the Pacers can get a former star like Rose at a discounted rate compared to the other big-name point guards hitting free agency this summer, why not? Sure, it’d be a cheap attempt to put butts in the seats during a rebuild, but it’s not the worst option as long as the contract isn’t too long or costly.
Looking up and down the Pacers’ roster, there’s hardly a young point guard that needs grooming. Myles Turner would still be the clear focal point of the rebuild, but Rose would get another chance to revitalize his value playing for a team devoid of offensive weapons and take some of the pressure off Turner to do everything himself.
Now, some Pacers fans may groan at the thought of Rose taking 15+ shots a night, and justifiably so. But outside of Teague, who would be more expensive to re-sign, the Pacers don’t have a single capable point guard on the roster. Is signing Rose to a two- or three-year deal to bridge the gap between now and the team’s next franchise point guard really such a terrible option?