Should the Indiana Pacers sign Myles Turner to a new deal? Will they keep their surprise roster together?
Now eliminated from the postseason, let's look ahead to the free agency, draft and trade decisions facing Indiana this offseason.
More summer focus: Click here for every team so far
Managing expectations
This season, no team in the NBA outperformed expectations more than Indiana.
Predicted to win 30 games and finish with the seventh-worst record in the NBA, the Pacers were expected to focus on rebuilding and using the lottery to get back to being a playoff team. After all, how does a team recover after trading its best player in the offseason in Paul George?
Now 10 months removed from the George trade, the rebuild in Indiana turned into 48 wins and a team that fell one game short of advancing to the next round. The 2017-18 version of the Pacers turned out to be a better overall team with a brighter future after the deal.
Fair or unfair, the focus will now turn to how Indiana can duplicate the success from this past season and take the next step. Despite the high expectations, the eighth-youngest team in the NBA likely returns 13 players from this season, with the loss to Cleveland serving as motivation.
The costs of creating cap space
The known is better than the unknown. That is the thinking in Indiana when it comes to two possible directions for the team this offseason.
The Pacers can return the same roster that won 48 games or go into free agency with $31 million in cap space. Creating cap space would come at a significant cost to the roster. Gone would be starters Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic, key reserve Lance Stephenson and veteran Al Jefferson.
The same success that GM Kevin Pritchard found last July will likely not be found this offseason, especially in a diluted free-agent market.
Also, all four players would have to be waived by July 1, meaning Indiana would enter free agency searching for replacements without a commitment in hand from a free agent.
While there is an appeal with cap space, keep in mind that each player is entering the last year of his contract and has value not only on the court but in a possible trade because of an expiring deal.
Keep an eye on 2019
There is no better free-agent pitch than the playoffs. In Indiana, the recruitment of free agents will likely have to wait until the summer of 2019 -- especially if the decision is to bring back the same roster from 2017-18.
Despite the one-year wait, Indiana has positioned itself for the future. The Pacers can sell a strong core of Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner (restricted free agent), two first-round picks (2018 and 2019) and a projected $60 million in cap space.
Even with the potential of a double max slot available, don't expect the Pacers' front office to sit idly during the 2018-19 season. Indiana will have an advantage with eight players on expiring contracts, bringing the ability to take back future salary but on a player who can help now and in the future.
Summer cap breakdown
Cap space this summer in Indiana is fluid based on the player option of Thaddeus Young and the decision to retain or waive the players on partial or non-guaranteed contracts, including Collison and Bogdanovic.
If Indiana takes a conservative approach and Young and Joseph opt into their contracts, the Pacers will likely be right at the salary cap with the $8.6 million midlevel and $3.4 million biannual exception to use. With shooting off the bench a priority, Indiana could target a player such as free agent Wayne Ellington with the full midlevel.
If Jefferson and Young are waived, cap room would stand at $13.8 million. In this case, Indiana would have the $4.4 million room exception in addition to cap space.
One area to watch is the available roster spots. Including their two draft picks, the Pacers could have 15 players under contract (the league limit) before free agency even starts.
Dates to watch
The month of June will dictate how the Pacers shape their roster for next season.
Indiana has a league-high eight players on the roster who either have a player option or team option with a guaranteed contract date.
Here is a breakdown of the players and dates to watch:
Joe Young
The former second-round pick has a June 24 team option. Exercising the option would guarantee Young $1.6 million for next year. The decision for Indiana will likely come down to the need for an extra roster spot.
Lance Stephenson
Expect the Pacers to exercise the option on Stephenson's $4.4 million contract. There is a June 29 deadline to do so.
Thaddeus Young
Despite another year of consistency, the starting salary for Young if he opted out would fall short of his $13.9 million salary for next season. Young will need to weigh whether the future financial security of a long-term contract at a lower salary outweighs taking a salary discount for 2018-19. Expect Young to opt into his contract for next year.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Even before his heroics in a Game 3 win vs. Cleveland, Bogdanovic was likely going to see his $10.5 million contract for next season become fully guaranteed. A starter in 80 games, Bogdanovic has $1.5 million guaranteed with the remainder becoming fully guaranteed if not waived by June 29.
Darren Collison
Like Bogdanovic, expect Collison's $10 million contract to become guaranteed by July 1. The point guard has $2 million guaranteed if the Pacers do waive him (unlikely).
Al Jefferson
The veteran presents an interesting decision for Indiana. Already with $4 million guaranteed, he played a career low in minutes this season. Despite his limited role, the center continues to provide invaluable mentorship to Myles Turner and he's a veteran locker room presence. The remaining $6 million becomes guaranteed if not waived by July 2.
Last year's second-round pick has $690,000 of his $1.4 million contract guaranteed for next season. Expect Anigbogu to be on the roster past June 15, the date his contract becomes fully guaranteed.
Expect the Las Vegas Summer League to be a tryout for the forward. With a strong performance, Poythress could see his $1.4 million contract become guaranteed for next year. Indiana will have until July to decide.
Extension-eligible candidates
Despite a foul-plagued Game 7 vs. Cleveland, there is a lot to like about Turner. Still only 22, Turner has turned into a foundation piece but is still in the development stage of his career.
Now that Turner is extension-eligible, Indiana will have to decide to either take advantage of his low $10.2 million free-agent cap hold for 2019 or sign the center to an extension before Oct. 15.
A new deal would likely have Turner under contract for four years starting in 2019-20 but see Indiana lose cap savings.
Besides Turner, Thaddeus Young, Joseph, Jefferson and Joe Young are also extension-eligible.
Joseph is eligible for a four-year, $46 million extension starting in 2019-20.
The draft assets
Here's how ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz have Indiana picking in the 2018 draft:
No. 23 (own): Elie Okobo | G | Pau-Orthez
No. 50 (own): Trevon Duval | PG | Duke
The Pacers own all their future first-round selections.