Hello and welcome to the Game Theory podcast, offseason preview series where Bryce Simon and I dig deep into every team's big decisions this summer.

This one seemed like it was going to be a celebration, unfortunately, but it is turning into a bit of a bummer conversation that we're going to have to have.

The Indiana Pacers were a team.

I was so pumped to talk about how they were going to definitely go into the tax,

how they were going to spend to keep this roster together,

maybe make some adjustments on the fly with some of their guys coming off the bench.

Now Tyrese Halliburton is injured next season, though,

and I'm curious to see what they do.

Bryce, this should just be the

ultimate celebration of team building where this group led by Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan,

has done such an incredible job of building a roster just through sharp decision-making,

trading DeMontas for Tyrese Halliburton, trading those draft picks for Pascal C. Aukham, cashing in the Malcolm

Brogden deal for Aaron Neesmith, who has turned into a critical starter for them.

You can go up and down the entirety of their roster, Obie Toppin for a second round pick.

They've done an amazing job of building this roster with just such sharp,

intelligent decision-making.

And yet, we're sitting here.

They losing game seven of the finals,

and we have real uncertainty about where they're going to go here in the future.

Yeah, it is disappointing.

I do want to give them their flowers and their credit for an incredible season, an enjoyable

season, an hell of a playoff run that I enjoyed watching every game.

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