The Indiana Pacers are in a bit of a predicament at the moment. They are one of the NBA’s worst teams, primarily because they lost Tyrese Haliburton for the season and lost Myles Turner to their division rival, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Haliburton’s return will certainly rectify the Pacers’ situation next season, but like Turner or not, the Pacers have a void at center.
Which Two Bigs Have the Pacers Looked Into?
The Pacers are certainly aware of their need for a big and want to address the issue. Whether they succeed is another story.
NBA Insider Marc Stein revealed that though his team has every intention of keeping him, the Pacers have made it clear they want Walker Kessler.
“Yet the repeated signals emanating from Salt Lake City indicate that Utah wants to keep Kessler have not stopped Indiana from expressing trade interest in the promising big man,” Stein wrote.
He then added that Kessler and another big man have been on the Pacers’ radar in their hopes of prepping for next season.
“Kessler and Dallas’ Daniel Gafford are two bigs that the Pacers have tried to engage on in recent weeks with an eye toward landing a quality center before Tyrese Haliburton’s projected return from an Achilles tear when next season commences,” Stein wrote.
The latest from NBA Trade Watch on the eve of the annual G League Showcase that brings together executives from all 30 teams: https://t.co/dAIhQHj4UW
📷: @SacramentoKings pic.twitter.com/QeshmGYEw1
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 18, 2025
On paper, the Pacers could be even more loaded than they were the year they came within a game of winning their first title as a franchise. They will have Haliburton and a potentially golden lottery pick next season. However, it will all depend on how they can replace Turner’s production.
To be perfectly honest, even though Turner was a hybrid floor spacer and shot blocker, he wasn’t exactly the Pacers’ most important player when they made their run to the NBA Finals. He averaged 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 34.4% from three, per NBA.com.
That’s not a shot at Turner at all. He is a perfectly adequate starting center on an NBA Finals team, and that’s the bar the Pacers have to meet if they hope to return there.
Kessler is a pipe dream because even if he wanted to join the Pacers, the Jazz have complete control over his free agency. Gafford is definitely the more realistic of the two, as the Mavericks might be headed for an overhaul now that the Cooper Flagg era is in full swing.
Gafford isn’t the same player as Turner, but he doesn’t have to be. He, too, has been the starting center on a team that made the NBA Finals. He wouldn’t have to do what Turner did for the Pacers, but simply hold his own.
It’s also possible that Indiana looks to someone else, too, but at least the Pacers are trying to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
