The Indiana Pacers took a commanding 2-0 lead over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals and Trajan Langdon of the Detroit Pistons is watching closely.
The Pacers have quietly been one of the best teams in the NBA in 2025, so this is not a fluke. They are talented and deep and may have given the league a blueprint for how to win in the new tax apron era.
It started when the Pacers flipped one-dimensional center Domantas Sabonis in a monster deal that landed them Tyrese Haliburton, who has blossomed into a franchise player while the Kings wonder if they can trade Sabonis this summer and start over. The Sabonis saga should give the Pistons pause before they offer Jalen Duren a monster deal.
The Pistons already have their own superstar in Cade Cunningham, who was just named to his first All-NBA team, so they have nailed the first part of the equation.
But the move that put the Pacers in position to compete for a title was when they traded for Pascal Siakam two seasons later. The Pistons don’t have their own version of Siakam yet but have myriad ways to get him. The key is making sure it’s the right guy at the right price.
Finding the second star at the right price
The Pacers’ trade for Siakam now looks like genius in retrospect, especially after he dropped 39 points on the Knicks last night to push Indiana to a 2-0 lead.
They only traded a trio of role players headlined by Bruce Brown and three first-round picks, none of which were very good anyway.
The Pacers got their second star, but didn’t have to give up anyone of significance to do it, something Pistons fans should take note of when they are calling for the team to trade for another star.
If it costs Detroit 3-4 of their own players, it’s not worth it, so Detroit needs to be patient and wait for their own Siakam-esque deal to emerge.
Good news for the Detroit Pistons
The good news is that the Pistons may already have this player in house, as Ausar Thompson hasn’t even had a full offseason and could make a huge leap next season.
It’s not out of the question that Jalen Duren also makes a big leap, at least into the Ivica Zubac tier.
Jaden Ivey was starting to show signs of being that guy before getting injured, so if these three continue to improve, the Pistons may get a star in the aggregate, even if none of them ever reach the Siakam tier.
Ron Holland II is another wildcard considering he’s still a teenager and has already played meaningful minutes in the playoffs, so the Pistons may not even have to make a trade to get their second star, they just need to take their time evaluating their own players and making sure to pay the right one accordingly and not overextend on the others.
The Pacers model is the blueprint in the new tax apron era
If you look at the Pacers’ roster, it’s a blueprint for how to build a team under the new CBA.
They have their two high-paid stars at the top of the payroll in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
The rest of their roster is made up of guys making between the minimum and $19 million with Myles Turner as their third-highest paid player.
The rest of their team is guys making $12 million or less, all of whom contribute, a combination of players on rookie contracts or team-friendly deals.
The Pistons are perfectly positioned to build their own version of this as long as they can retain their young players at a reasonable rate. When Tobias Harris is off the books, the Pistons should have another big salary slot open and then a bunch of players on rookie deals or hopefully making under $20 million per season.
I can’t stand the Pacers, so it hurts to give them compliments, but they have put on a masterclass in team building the Pistons should emulate.