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NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Indiana Pacers

By Jerry Christodoulatos

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 25: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers helps Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers off of the flor during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 25, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 25: Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers helps Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers off of the flor during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 25, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

4. Will Barton

Will the Thrill has become a polarizing player since cracking Denver’s rotation during the 2015-2016 season. Barton is essentially a one way player: he enters the game off the bench and functions as an offensive flamethrower, while struggling to make an impact on defense. Although he has clear flaws, Barton’s skill set would fit well on this Pacers roster.

He’s undeniably skilled on offense, even though his game looks perpetually reckless. Barton has a versatile game, which was pivotal to the success of Denver’s offense. He played both on and off the ball, and filled the role of secondary creator for a Nuggets team that had backup point guard issues all year. Barton is a solid ball handler and he initiated lots of pick and rolls for Denver last year, primarily using those actions to attack the rim. He finished very well at the basket, knocking down 66 percent of his shots at the rim.

Barton also loves to get out in transition, pushing the ball on ambitious fast break attempts. That fits right in with Indiana’s style of play, as the Pacers really pushed the ball and attacked in transition last year. Beyond taking on ball handling duties, Barton can shoot the ball well from deep. He’s steadily improved as a shooter almost every year of his career and he’s more than willing to fire up bombs from deep.

Defensively though, Barton is a liability. He can get some crafty poke steals every so often, but he’s mostly a negative on the defensive end. Barton has a nice wingspan and he’s athletic enough to be a decent defender, but he’s not attentive enough. He loses track of guys off the ball and in small lineups he’s not equipped to handle most threes. At 175 pounds, he’s too thin to hold up for long.

Despite his limitations, Barton is the kind of player that could help the Pacers and reporting by Chris Haynes of ESPN suggests that the Indiana will go after him. Bench scoring and creation are big needs on this team, and Will the Thrill is well suited to fill them. Pricing could get a bit tricky though. Barton turned down a four-year extension from Denver worth over $40 million. If he’s looking for a major payday he probably won’t find it on this market. And with the Nuggets maxing out Nikola Jokic they’ll be loathe to re-sign Barton for fear of paying a massive tax bill. Teams that are trying to sign him will probably offer the full mid-level exception. That seems fair in our cap crunched environment. If he’s attainable in that price range, the Pacers should seriously consider him.

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