Does this trade make sense for the Indiana Pacers?

At first glance, this trade may seem foolish for the Pacers to do, but overall, there is a fair amount of value to gain from a trade like this. Rajon Rondo and Patrick Beverley could definitely help make the Pacers better defensively, an area they really struggled this past season, and they get a fair amount of draft compensation as well. 

Two second-round picks in 2023 and 2024 are not too valuable in terms of immediate impact, but the Clippers 2021 1st round pick is definitely valuable. The pick is slated to be the 25th pick in this year’s draft, but there is definitely value for the Pacers in this range. 

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Not to mention, they would have their own first-round pick in the lottery, so having two first-round picks would definitely help them bring in two key young talents to build with. As mentioned earlier, this is a trade that would likely have to be done on draft night in order for the Clippers to draft who the Pacers would want with their first-round pick since the Clippers cannot trade the pick straight up due to restrictions. 

If the Pacers are looking to move some of their core pieces in the offseason and looking to get some immediate return in the process, as well as some long-term assets, then this trade with the Clippers is definitely not as bad as it may seem. 

Indiana would get a young player with the Clippers first-round pick this year and then with them not being tied down to Beverley and Rondo long-term, they would be able to play around in free agency next offseason in order to possible lure a star player to their team to play with Sabonis, LeVert and T.J. Warren.