NBA rumors: Surprise team in the East could end up signing Bruce Brown

The Pacers are reportedly pursung Nuggets free agent Bruce Brown in a bid to become one of the most fun teams in the NBA.

According to Marc Stein, the Pacers are joining the race to sign Bruce Brown.

This is the latest team to join the race that has seen the Lakers and others get in on the competition in the last couple of days.

“NBA matters are especially fluid this time of year — as James Harden’s opt-in in Philly just showed us — and league sources say A) Indiana is a new team to watch in the pursuit of Denver’s Bruce Brown and B) Indiana should NOT automatically be deemed Max Strus’ landing spot,” Stein tweeted on Thursday night.

Due to the wording of Stein’s tweet, it can be assumed that Brown is the main target for the Pacers. If Indiana is unable to get Brown, they will most likely settle for Max Strus.

Indiana seems to be offering Strus $48 million over the next three years. Obviously, this seems to be hesitant on what ends up happening with Brown’s free agency decision.

How would adding Bruce Brown help the Pacers going forward?

Indiana has a very nice core that yours truly is basically in love with. Yes, they never ended up trading for an established offensive wing to complete the young core that this team has but this is still a team on the rise and ahead of schedule due to young players like Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin among others.

Signing Brown could allow Indiana to still play Jarace Walker starting-level minutes at the wing position. At the same time, Indiana could still be making a major improvement in the wing position.

This is the veteran move that they have been looking for. Yes, Brown is more of a guard but still fits the role that the Pacers need filled.

In all likelihood, if the Pacers were able to get Brown this offseason, it would make them one of the funniest league pass teams in the league. Additionally, they would be a really strong candidate to end up being a no-question playoff team, not via the play-in but by having one of the six best records in the conference.

Yes, they will not be a title contender or even a contender to get out of the East if they sign Brown, but this team would be a hard out in the first round of the playoffs if they were able to get the veteran on their team.