The Indiana Pacers have been trying to throw their hat in the ring for LeBron James. They are one of many teams across the NBA who have tried to land him. Tyrese Haliburton has tried to recruit him to Indiana, but he seemingly got rebuffed by James.
GM Chad Buchanan has confirmed that Indiana was one of the teams that reached out. However, like Haliburton, he doesn’t believe that his chances of landing James are very high. In fact, he pretty much threw cold water on the idea that James will be joining the team.
GettyLos Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts during a game. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
Pacers GM Chad Buchanan Confirms LeBron James Will Not Sign With Indiana
While appearing on Setting the Pace, Buchanan let everyone know that the Pacers are officially a team James will not be signing with.
“If you’re expecting the LeBron to the Pacers announcement to come, it’s not coming. Every team made their pitch to Rich (Paul) on what they could offer, as did we…I can’t tell you where he’s going to end up, but it won’t be Indiana.”
This isn’t a surprise, as Haliburton pretty much confirmed this a couple of days ago. However, this truly shuts the door on anything like this happening. James seems to have narrowed down his potential teams to Cleveland, Miami, Golden State, and Philadelphia.
Had James signed with the Pacers, they would have needed to waive a player to make room for him. They also would only have been able to offer him the veteran’s minimum. That doesn’t seem like it was ever in the cards, as James never indicated interest.
James is still an effective player at his age. Last season, he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. He is still going to be a really good player next year, even if he’s not close to his peak. Had he signed in Indiana, he could have helped them.
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. dribbles the ball in a game. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Indiana is Likely Finished Making Offseason Moves
It’s unlikely that the Pacers make another move this summer. They have already signed Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. to shore up the bench. Right now, they don’t have any roster spots available to bring anyone else in. It would be surprising to see them add another player.
A trade is always possible with Kevin Pritchard leading the team, but he seems to have already made that trade during the deadline this past season. That trade netted them Ivica Zubac, but it did cost them the fifth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Signing James was always a pipe dream, as he has never been very fond of Indiana. The Pacers had a rivalry with him throughout his career in both Cleveland and Miami. It would have been shocking to see him put that behind him to try and win a ring while playing in Indiana.
Pacers GM Addresses Chances of Indiana Landing LeBron James