The Indiana Pacers may not have had as much success as their division rivals, but they have made multiple Eastern Conference Finals runs over the last decade.
Their free agency hits have been a huge factor in those campaigns. It’s hard to lure stars to the Midwest, but the Pacers have focused on making smart moves instead and have found success.
Here are the five best free agency signings they have ever made.
5Bruce Brown (2023)
Contract: 2 years, $45 million![Bruce Brown Jr](https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/bruce-brown-jr.jpg)
Bruce Brown may have played just half a season in Indiana, but for the Pacers, this signing was a massive statement. Coming off a championship season with the Denver Nuggets, Brown was wanted by a host of teams in the league, including big names like the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks. But he chose to sign with the Pacers, who also happened to have the highest offer.
Brown, who was a rotational player for his previous teams, had his biggest workload in Indiana. He started each of the 33 games he played, averaging a career high 12.1 points in 29.7 minutes per game, his highest tally so far. His ability to affect multiple facets of the game was clutch for a young Pacers side, and was vital in the team reaching the Finals of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Bruce Brown – Indiana Pacers Stats | |
---|---|
Category | Stat |
PPG | 12.1 |
RPG | 4.7 |
APG | 3.0 |
FG% | 47.5% |
3PT% | 32.7% |
In January 2024, when the Toronto Raptors started their fire sale, the Pacers cashed in. They traded away Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-rounders, to bring in Pascal Siakam, ending Brown’s short but memorable tenure in Indiana.
4C.J. Miles (2014)
Contract: 4 years, $18 million![CJ Miles Indiana Pacers](https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/cj-miles-indiana-pacers.jpeg)
When the Pacers signed C.J. Miles in 2014, they wouldn’t have predicted that he would be a key part of their roster overhaul in a year. The following off-season saw the departures of David West and Roy Hibbert, while a bunch of new faces like Monta Ellis and Myles Turner came in the opposite direction. The change in personnel led to the Pacers moving towards an offense focused on spacing, which was perfect for the sharpshooter Miles.
During his time in Indiana, Miles averaged 12.0 points per game and shot 37.4 percent from three on 5.9 attempts per game. Despite being a sixth man primarily, Miles’ lethal shooting off the bench was crucial for the Pacers.
After three seasons, Miles declined his player option for the fourth year and left in a sign and trade to the Raptors. He left with the ninth-most threes made in Pacers history, with 465 triples to his name.
C.J. Miles – Indiana Pacers Stats | |
---|---|
Category | Stat |
PPG | 12.0 |
RPG | 2.9 |
FG% | 41.2% |
3PT% | 37.4% |
Miles last played in an NBA game in December 2021, when he signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics.
3Malcolm Brogdon (2019)
Contract: 4 years, $85 million![Malcolm Brogdon Indiana Pacers](https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/malcolm-brogdon-indiana-pacers.jpeg)
Malcolm Brogdon found success early in his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. But when his contract was expiring, the Bucks were not willing to offer him a deserved payday. So their division rivals, the Pacers, gladly did. They gave the restricted free agent a lucrative four-year offer and made him the second-highest-paid player in franchise history.
Brogdon averaged career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists and excelled as the lead guard on the team. Despite injuries that kept him on the sidelines for parts of the season, the Pacers boasted a 34-20 record when he played. Brogdon led them to the fourth seed in the East, but the Pacers were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Malcolm Brogdon – Indiana Pacers Stats | |
---|---|
Category | Stat |
PPG | 18.9 |
RPG | 5.1 |
APG | 6.3 |
FG% | 44.7% |
3PT% | 35.2% |
His numbers got better the next season, but this time, his teammates also suffered from poor injury luck like him. The Pacers ended up finishing as the ninth seed and missed out on the playoffs.
Brogdon’s injuries kept getting worse, and he played just 36 games in his third season in Indiana. He may have been a great contributor for the Pacers, but his inability to be on the court led to the front office losing their patience, and eventually trading him to the Celtics in the 2022 off-season.
2Bojan Bogdanović (2017)
Contract: 2 years, $21 million![Bojan Bogdanovic Indiana Pacers](https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/bojan-bogdanovic-indiana-pacers.jpeg)
The Pacers had an eventful off-season in 2017 when they traded away Paul George. As they made other moves to plug holes on the roster, they made an under-the-radar free agent signing in Bojan Bogdanović. It was a low-risk move with the second year of the deal not guaranteed.
Bogdanović may not have had many expectations when he arrived, but by the end of the season, the fans couldn’t get enough of him. His shooting splits took a hit in the playoffs, but his duel against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 in the first round of the playoffs was unforgettable. Bogdanović finished with 30 points on a blistering 11-15 shooting while going 7-9 from three. The Pacers ended up losing the series in seven games, but the front office saw enough to guarantee his second year.
The Croatian forward improved in his second season, averaging a then career-high 18.0 points on improved efficiency. Once again, the Pacers fell flat in the playoffs, with their season ending in a sweep against the Celtics in the first round.
Bojan Bogdanović – Indiana Pacers Stats | |
---|---|
Category | Stat |
PPG | 16.1 |
RPG | 3.7 |
FG% | 48.7% |
3PT% | 41.3% |
Bogdanović left the Pacers in the following off-season to join the Utah Jazz on a massive four-year, $73 million deal. He is now employed by the Knicks, a historic rival of the Pacers.
1David West (2011)
Contract: 2 years, $20 million![David West Indiana Pacers 2](https://static0.givemesportimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/david-west-indiana-pacers-2.jpeg)
When David West arrived in Indiana in 2011, the Pacers had made the playoffs once in their previous six seasons and finished below .500 in each of them. The team lacked leadership and needed a culture shift. That’s exactly what West brought from day one, along with his automatic midrange jumper.
In his first season with the Pacers, they finished with the third-best record in the East, and went to the second round of the playoffs, losing in six games to the Miami Heat. Under West’s leadership, the Pacers came back stronger next season, finishing with a 49-32 record and locking down the third seed again. They made their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since the 2003-04 season, but unfortunately ended up losing to the Heat again, this time in seven games.
West’s impressive two-year tenure led to the Pacers re-signing him to a three-year, $36.6 million contract at age 33. They won 56 games in the 2013-14 season, the first time they crossed 50+ wins in ten years. The Pacers had their second straight ECF run that year, which was once again halted by the Heat.
David West – Indiana Pacers Stats | |
---|---|
Category | Stat |
PPG | 14.0 |
RPG | 7.0 |
APG | 2.8 |
SPG | 0.8 |
BPG | 0.8 |
FG% | 48.7% |
The former Xavier star played another season with the Pacers, before opting out of the third year in 2015. His exit wasn’t pretty, after what was a let-down season by him in 2014-15, but had it not been for his leadership and effort, the Pacers wouldn’t have made those ECF runs. West played three more seasons in the league after leaving Indiana, before retiring in 2018.