Indiana
Indiana Pacers conference opponent offseason check-in: Philadelphia 76ers
No team in the NBA had an offseason as splashy as the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philly, a team that the Indiana Pacers struggled to take down prior to this past season, managed their resources incredibly well. President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey entered the summer in a unique spot, rosterting two All-Stars and holding a ton of cap space, and he left the summer with a dramatically improved roster.
From last year’s team, the Sixers only have six holdovers: Joel Embiid, KJ Martin, Kyle Lowry, Jeff Dowtin, Tyrese Maxey, and Kelly Oubre. The rest of the roster has landed elsewhere because their contract expired, they were traded, or they were waived in the name of generating more cap space.
It’s rare that a good team has enough cap room to bring in a major talent, but that’s what Philadelphia did — they were able to sign star forward Paul George to a four-year, maximum value contract in the offseason. George, a former Pacer, was by far the best player to change teams this summer, and that instantly rocketed the 76ers up a tier or two in the East.
Then, through a combination of salary cap exceptions and clever moves, Morey added Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson, Caleb Martin, and Guerschon Yabusele. The franchise also drafted Jared McCain and Adem Bona. They have a totally new feel, yet all of their additions have a chance to be impactful.
Many have graded Philly as a big winner of the summer because of all their moves. They lost several good players to make all this happen — Nic Batum, Robert Covington, Mo Bamba, Tobias Harris, Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, Cam Payne, and Paul Reed all have new homes. That list of players alone is a decent roster. But to get George and additional talent around him is a home run even when considering those departures.
The 76ers now have perhaps the best big three in the current NBA. George, Maxey, and Embiid are all incredibly talented, and they should fit well together. Embiid and Maxey already were a good pairing — now George’s defense, shooting, and overall skill will be added to that mix.
Some combination of Oubre, Martin, Gordon, and Lowry should round out a rock solid starting five. That group will be tough to topple. The Sixers kryptonite in past seasons was the minutes without Embiid on the floor, but being able to toss out Jackson, Yabusele, Drummond, McCain, and others in those moments will make for a dangerous team.
Indiana went 2-1 against Philadelphia last season. Every game was incredibly high scoring, and they likely will be again in the coming season. Both teams have a ton of firepower.
Philadelphia added more. They should be a top team in the Eastern Conference, and the Pacers will have to be at their best to take down the 76ers. Last year, the two franchises won the same number of games. The margins between them were thin. Indiana will have to grow internally to keep up with a splashy summer in the City of Brotherly Love.
Indiana
Fantasy Football Video: Will the Raiders reunite Fernando Mendoza with an Indiana WR in the 2026 NFL Draft?
When the clock starts for the Las Vegas Raiders, with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza will be the player selected by the franchise.
But might the Raiders and new head coach Klint Kubiak look to pair Mendoza with a familiar wide receiver from the Hoosiers in the NFL?
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Matt Harmon was joined by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler on a recent episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast to discuss his favorite mock draft targets and whether the Raiders will add an Indiana wideout in the middle rounds of the draft.
The Hoosiers WR Brugler has mocked to the Raiders in the third round is Elijah Sarratt, who is coming off an impressive senior season with Indiana en route to a national title. Sarratt had a clear connection with Mendoza and Brugler believes it’s important to build some continuity and chemistry for a young QB. Sarratt could provide Mendoza with a safety net.
Sarratt had 65 catches for 830 and a team-leading 15 touchdowns last season. While quiet in the national title game against Miami, Sarratt had two scores against Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals to go with seven catches and 75 yards.
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Harmon definitely sees the connection on paper on back-shoulder throws. One thing that could get in the way of the Raiders investing in a wideout early-ish in the draft is Jack Bech, who was a second-rounder from 2025.
Harmon points to the similarities in potential role for Sarratt and Bech — both are big receivers who could do well operating out of the slot. So would the Raiders prefer to draft Sarratt or roll the dice on Year 2 with Bech? Sarratt’s resume certainly makes him an appealing pick.
The 6-foot-2 wideout totaled 44 touchdowns over four seasons in college playing for St. Francis, then James Madison, and finishing his career with two seasons in Bloomington. Brugler believes the TD production is a key selling point for Sarratt’s draft stock and should definitely be appealing to GMs during the draft.
Yahoo analyst Justin Boone released his rookie rankings for dynasty fantasy football in early April. Boone has Sarratt ranked 17th overall, coming in as the WR9 in dynasty.
Indiana
Monday storm blows across northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio
NORTHEAST INDIANA (WANE) – A storm system passed through northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio on Monday evening, leaving a substantial amount of damage in its wake.
Monday night’s storm warranted thunderstorm warnings throughout the viewing area, including Steuben, DeKalb, and Allen counties in Indiana, along with Defiance, Paulding, and Van Wert counties in Ohio.
The storm itself lasted about an hour, but caused chaos by downing unstable trees and signage from strong winds.
Thousands reported power outages across the Fort Wayne area, with a handful of outages in Ohio’s northwest region.
Viewers from across the WANE 15 viewing area shared photos documenting the storm as it blew through, with additional weather phenomena:
Indiana
Physical guard commits to Indiana basketball from transfer portal: Stats, highlights
BLOOMINGTON — Darian DeVries’ backcourt rebuild got a boost Monday, with the news that Georgia Tech guard Jaeden Mustaf intends to transfer to Indiana.
“ALL IN,” Mustaf posted on social media announcing his decision.
Mustaf, a Maryland native who was once a target for Mike Woodson and Indiana’s previous staff, averaged 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game across 29 appearances for Georgia Tech last season. The 6-foot-6 guard is also a career 37.2% 3-point shooter, though not at significant volume.
Importantly, Mustaf is a big-bodied guard who rebounds his position well and draws fouls at an above-average clip. Last season in Atlanta, he had 4.2 fouls drawn per 40 minutes, and 4.4 in ACC play, a top-25 number in the conference. He also finished his sophomore season scoring the ball well — Mustaf averaged 14 points per game in the Yellow Jackets’ last nine, and 16.3 per game in their last six.
His arrival strengthens a guard rotation that will need remade essentially from the ground up this spring. The Hoosiers’ only returners don’t play the position, and DeVries signed just one out-and-out guard, Prince-Alexander Moody, in the 2026 class.
Mustaf’s commitment hands the Hoosiers a strong, capable guard with high-major experience and multiple years of eligibility remaining around which DeVries and his staff can build.
Mustaf was at one time a target for Woodson, coming out of high school. Mustaf played with Overtime Elite before making the move to college.
- Trevor Manhertz, forward, freshman
- Prince-Alexander Moody, guard, freshman
- Jaeden Mustaf, guard, senior
- Vaughn Karvala, forward, freshman
- Trent Sisley, forward, sophomore
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