Why This Trade Would Make Sense For The Indiana Pacers
At some point, the Indiana Pacers need to decide between the identity they want to build upon. Domantas Sabonis is leaned upon as a key element of their half-court offense but that unit has remained average-at-best. Meanwhile, their defense has a DPOY candidate but remains a fringe top 10 group.
There’s a strong case to be made for the Pacers to embrace building around a defensive identity with Myles Turner as the anchor. However, Indiana has seemingly been reluctant to embrace Turner on the other end of the floor throughout his NBA career.
If the Pacers are committed to building around Domantas Sabonis and believe he still has a substantially higher ceiling to reach, then potential trade scenarios for Turner could be looked at in the offseason. The Celtics could have an intriguing offer.
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In this scenario, the Pacers would land a high-level perimeter defender in Marcus Smart who can guard multiple positions. Aaron Nesmith could also serve an important role on the wing in the team’s rotation, which would help them to go smaller around Domantas Sabonis.
