The Pacers finished the regular season with a 42–24 record and secured a spot in the 2012 NBA playoffs as the 3rd best team in the Eastern Conference.
In the offseason, the team drafted future multi-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who was later traded to the San Antonio Spurs.
Due to the 2011 NBA lockout negotiations, the programmed pre-season schedule, along with the first two weeks of the regular season were scrapped, and a two-game pre-season was set for each team once the lockout concluded.
FIBA allows players under NBA contracts to sign and play for teams from other leagues if the contracts have opt-out clauses that allow the players to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.
[9] The Chinese Basketball Association, however, only allows its clubs to sign foreign free agents who could play for at least the entire season.