Even though many thought the Indiana Pacers can be a playoff team, they are set to end the season in the bottom part of the Eastern Conference standings. After starting the season with Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, and an interesting rookie in Chris Duarte, they traded two of them and now look to rebuild on the fly. Looking at next season, the Pacers will rely most on the draft, but they can also snag some pieces in free agency. Without further ado, let’s look at three early targets for the Pacers in the 2022 NBA free agency.

Mo Bamba 

The interesting thing about the Pacers is that their attack, despite missing a key piece in TJ Warren for the entire season, was not too bad. Unless there is a major change, they will end up as the 18th best-rated offense, according to Basketball Reference. On the other hand, their defense was abysmal, only rated 28th, so they need key additions in that area. They do have Myles Turner, but the trade of Sabonis left the Pacers without another stable presence under the basket. That is exactly where Mo Bamba can jump in. Of course, he is a restricted free agent coming out of Orlando, but the Magic might decide against keeping him, which is an opportunity that the Pacers should jump on.

Bamba can help the Pacers in a myriad of ways, but mostly with rebounding and inside defense. While their ranking of 3rd in blocks might suggest otherwise, the Pacers had a ton of issues in that segment. Myles Turner will bump up the numbers, but the fact that the Pacers’ opponents shoot the second-best percentage in the league is a worrying sign. Bamba and his long hands will help disrupt a ton of the shots and if he is left with a guard, even if Bamba cannot get to contest the shot completely, he will be able to be there at least somewhat. Additionally, he is young and has a ton of upside, both things important for a team rebuilding, such as the Pacers are.