Photo: Indiana Pacers/X

When asked by Tony East what the Indiana Pacers’ roster might still be missing after acquiring a new starting center, general manager Chad Buchanan jokingly replied that landing a top-four pick in this year’s draft would certainly help.

Beyond the lighthearted comment, Buchanan explained that Indiana plans to treat the final two months of the season as a period for evaluation before making key offseason decisions.

He noted that much of the team’s roster strategy will depend on whether the Pacers retain their draft pick and how that outcome affects their financial flexibility moving forward.

“Depending on if we have the pick or don’t have the pick determines some of what we do roster-wise, what we have flexibility-wise with the cap,” he said.

“But we’re going to be aggressive to try to put ourselves in a position to compete and contend for a championship next year. And whatever that means, we’re going to try and do it.”

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