Alex Kennedy from Hoopwsworld reported yesterday that George Hill's extension mirrored that of Marcus Thornton's a year ago at 5 years 40 million. This, of course, signifies Hill signed for the absolute maximum that most could financially envision. Between Hill's contract and Hibbert's max offer, the Pacers' invaluable financial flexibility appears to be disappearing faster than a James White NBA career (ironically enough White has received a one-year contract to play for the Knicks).

Going forward, whether the Hill numbers are accurate, and/or whether Hibbert's offer is matched, this offseason proves just how quickly a team can re-enter salary-cap purgatory. When it comes to re-signing your own or entering the FA market, overpaying is the overwhelming trend no matter how patiently a team goes about accruing financial flexibility.

Is this the wisest way for a small-market team to build going forward? Probably not, but how else does a team like Indy stay financially stable and continually competitive? It would seem in order to do so, the Pacers would have to rely on a constant pattern of beneficial/perfect trades and rookie contracts. Is that a more reasonable/realistic scenario?