The Indiana Pacers finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, qualifying for the play-in tournament. Unfortunately for the team, they did not manage to get to the playoffs. This was the first time in five seasons that they missed the postseason. It was this, and a host of other issues cost their coach Nate Bjorkgren his job.
Their season did not start well, losing T.J. Warren to injury after just four games. As one of the biggest stories to come out of the bubble, the Pacers would have been hoping for big things from Warren this season but it was not to be.
On top of that, they only had the services of Victor Oladipo for nine games at the start of the season. Fortunately for the team, it was not an injury that caused such a short stint. He was the Pacers portion of the James Harden trade.
The Indiana Pacers missed the postseason for the first time in five seasons. Here are five roster moves they need to make.
To summarize the Pacers portion of the Harden trade, they sent out Oladipo and received Caris Levert in return. LeVert was lucky that he was traded because a growth was found during the physical and he had to get it seen to. Without the trade, it is unlikely that the growth would have been detected. He missed 23 games but that is a small price to pay for the discovery of the health issue and his future health.
The Pacers also lost their rim protector Myles Turner for 25 games and Jeremy Lamb for 36 games. These injuries were a big reason that the Pacers were unable to gain any momentum for the season and why they were a play-in, not a playoff team.