Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan believes the organization can quickly return to playoff contention next season if the roster remains healthier than it was this year.
A major reason for that confidence is center Ivica Zubac, whom the Pacers targeted as a foundational piece capable of stabilizing the middle of the floor and helping the team compete at a higher level.
“The core of this comes down to Ivica is a great player,” Buchanan said. “We’ve been a big believer, a big fan of him for a long time. This team has shown that it’s capable of doing some really special things.
“We were missing a starting center that we thought could keep us in that mix. We owed it to this group and these fans and our community to put us in position to try and do and replicate some of the things we’ve seen these last two years from this team.”
Buchanan also identified bench scoring as one of Indiana’s primary offseason needs. Even with uncertainty surrounding the franchise’s 2026 first-round pick, the Pacers believe they still possess multiple pathways to improve the roster.
“Should we lose the pick, there’s other opportunities to improve our team through free agency,” Buchanan said. “We still have trades. We gain a pick that we can use in the future for a trade.
“We feel like there’s a way to improve our team either way with the ping-pong balls, however they fall for us. We’re not putting all our eggs into one basket that, ‘Hey, if we don’t keep this pick, it’s doom and gloom,’ because it’s not.”
Indiana is expected to remain active this offseason regardless of the lottery outcome as the organization attempts to re-enter the Eastern Conference playoff picture next year.
Pacers Hopeful Of Retaining Draft Pick But Don’t Regret Ivica Zubac Trade https://t.co/tXvQ3BomC1
— RealGM (@RealGM) May 6, 2026
