Indiana Pacers' perfect move in 2025 NBA offseason

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The post Indiana Pacers' perfect move in 2025 NBA offseason appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Coming off a dream run to the NBA Finals in 2025, the Indiana Pacers are going to come crashing back down to earth for the upcoming season as they await the return of Tyrese Haliburton from an Achilles injury. While the Pacers have more than enough talent to remain a playoff team in the Eastern Conference, Haliburton's absence will make it very difficult for them to make it deep into the playoffs, let alone back to the NBA Finals.
Still, the Pacers earned so much goodwill from their fans after that incredible Cinderella run that their fanbase will take a down year for next season if it means Haliburton will be back to full strength over a year from now. Alas, the Pacers underwent a major unforeseen change this offseason, losing Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
Turner has been a starter for the team for the most part since he was drafted in 2015, and he's a true success story for the Pacers — a player who defied his years-long inclusion in trade rumors to be a starting center for a team that nearly won an NBA championship.
But even some good things come to an end. And the Pacers, ever the quick thinkers, may have managed to land on their feet despite losing one of the pillars of the franchise.
Here's the Pacers' perfect move this offseason.
Pacers have their Myles Turner replacement in Jay Huff
What Turner does on the court is not easily replicated. He's easily one of the most valuable players for the Pacers thanks to his ability to space the floor while protecting the rim. He's also fairly mobile, which means that he's not easily targeted in pick-and-rolls.
Turner has the most total blocks in the NBA since 2015, with 1,411, and among centers, he's only second the league in combined blocks and three-pointers during that span, with 2,167 (he only trails Brook Lopez, who has 2,408). The Pacers' contending identity was built on every player being able to make plays on both ends of the floor.
Turner's skillset was masterfully utilized in a breakneck Rick Carlisle system, with talented playmakers such as Haliburton and TJ McConnell making his life easier on offense by spoon-feeding him good looks. Moreover, he had the conditioning to keep up in a fast-paced system, all while protecting the paint for a Pacers team that's had a history of shaky defense in recent years.
Just this past season, the Pacers were over four points better per 100 possessions whenever Turner was on the floor in the regular season. That number didn't change much in the postseason, with the NBA Finals runner-up being three points better per 100 when their longtime center was playing.
Suffice to say, Turner departing is not a small deal. He's been a pillar of the community, beloved among Pacers fans even though he did not have the best of series in the NBA Finals, when it seemed as though the exhaustion was finally getting to him. He wanted to stay as well, making him the rare non All-Star to stick with a single franchise well over a decade.
Little did the Pacers know that Turner would have a serious suitor in free agency in the Bucks. Could anyone have expected Milwaukee to move mountains just to sign Turner from their archrival? They needed to waive and stretch Damian Lillard's contract to open up the space to sign Turner, a gambit that no one could have foreseen.
For all the reports that the Pacers were lowballing Turner, it just seemed rather unlikely for any team to give Turner a better contract than what they were willing to offer. And thus, Turner's Pacers career ends on a whimper, and he quickly becomes someone who isn't very appreciated in Gainbridge Fieldhouse when he visits back, considering that he signed with a Bucks team that the Pacers loathe.
Following the departure of Turner, it looked as though the Pacers were going to have to cobble together some combination of Isaiah Jackson, Thomas Bryant, and Tony Bradley to make up for the departure of their longtime starter at the position. That is not a very enticing center core.
Bryant and Bradley did have their moments in the NBA Finals, but defensive shortcomings and lack of mobility/three-point range, respectively, make them better suited to come off the bench. Jackson is coming off a torn Achilles; who knows how he will fare after such a long-term absence?
And then seemingly out of nowhere, the Pacers pulled off a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for Jay Huff, the 26-year-old big man who only became a part of an NBA rotation last season. And Huff didn't play much for the Grizzlies when they were at full strength anyway. But this could be a move that sneaks up on everyone, as Huff possesses the skillset that made Turner such a valuable piece for the Pacers for a decade.
Huff showed flashes of being an intimidating rim protector who can shoot consistently from beyond the arc. He had two games last season with six blocks, and he made two or more threes in 27 of the 62 games he suited up in. That earned him a four-year, $10.1 million deal with the Grizzlies — with the Pacers now set to benefit.
Huff had an impressive block rate of 6.9 percent, which would have ranked third in the NBA (behind Victor Wembanyama and Walker Kessler) had he played in enough minutes to qualify. Turner's block rate, for reference, was at 6.0 percent. He also shot 40.5 percent from deep and made 1.3 triples a night even though his role with the Grizzlies was inconsistent.
Now, this is not to say that Huff is a perfect replacement for Turner. His lack of agility and defensive mobility makes him a gamble for the Pacers. He's already been in the NBA for four seasons, but he hasn't quite established himself as a rotation fixture.
But the statistical profile and skillset for Huff are similar to that of Turner's. And that alone makes it the perfect move to try and replace someone many thought the Pacers would miss immensely.
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