The Indiana Pacers came incredibly close to winning the NBA Finals, as they improbably reached the biggest stage and lost in Game 7 after battling through the Eastern Conference as the No. 5 seed.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s victory is already being called into question by the Achilles injury Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton suffered in the first quarter. He already had 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range when the heartbreaking moment took place. Pascal Siakam, T.J. McConnell, and the rest of the Pacers’ supporting cast kept the game close until late in the third quarter, but OKC managed to pull away.
Considering just how close Indiana came to hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy without their franchise cornerstone, it’s unlikely they’ll change up their core for the 2025-26 season. However, one blockbuster trade opportunity could force the front office to think twice.
Pacers Predicted To Trade for Lauri Markkanen
The Utah Jazz are in the midst of a rebuild rather than trying to compete for championships, so one could argue that All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen is wasting his prime on a bottom-feeder.
NBA players want to sign massive contracts and win. With Markkanen already inking a lucrative five-year, $238 million contract, the Finnish big man may look to check the other box and pursue adding a championship to his resume.
The 28-year-old has surfaced in trade rumors recently, and PFSN’s Bjorn Bergstrom shockingly predicts the Pacers could pick up the phone.
“The Indiana Pacers came one win short of an NBA championship, so why would they make a splashy trade that shakes up their roster? Well, there’s a decent chance the Pacers get priced out of retaining eventual free-agent center Myles Turner, who struggled mightily during the 2025 NBA Finals,” Bergstrom wrote.
“The Pacers could decide to pivot and pursue Markkanen via trade, possibly offering bench pieces such as Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, or Johnny Furphy. Indiana would hate to break up the core of a team that has reached two straight Eastern Conference Finals and battled the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals — but that outcome may be inevitable.
“Adding Markkanen as a versatile pick-and-pop shooter who can also put the ball on the floor would be an ideal replacement for Turner.”
As previously mentioned, the Pacers couldn’t have come closer to winning it all. One may argue is seems foolish for Indiana’s front office to entertain such a vast change to their roster, but there’s also no denying Markkanen’s talent.
Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury in Game 7. pic.twitter.com/AZ1uk65dFg
— ESPN (@espn) June 23, 2025
The 7-foot, 240-pound forward averaged 19 points and 5.9 rebounds on 42.3% shooting in the 2025 campaign. These were disappointing statistics compared to the 2023 and 2024 seasons, so Ainge’s decision not to sell high on him last offseason could work in the Pacers’ favor.
If this unlikely scenario were to take place, losing Turner in free agency and packaging young pieces, like Mathurin and Walker, with salary filler are the keys to a potential deal working out.
Once again, the Pacers will almost definitely run it back with a similar core next season, but Markkanen’s talent and possible fit next to Haliburton (if healthy) and Siakam could at least cause a second thought from Indiana’s front office.
Pacers aren’t going to spen big money on a wanna be Center.