Indiana Pacers Receive: G Marcus Smart, F Grant Williams, G Romeo Langford, BOS 2022 1st Round Pick (Top-5 Protected)
Boston Celtics Receive: F Domantas Sabonis
Giving up Marcus Smart would definitely hurt Boston’s overall defensive effort, but it seems inevitable that he is going to be the “odd-man-out” at some point. The Celtics did just give Smart a four-year, $77M extension, keeping him under contract through the 2025-26 season, but they are not going to be giving up Tatum or Brown anytime soon.
In order for this team to improve, they are not only going to need cap space, but they will need to give up a valuable player like Marcus Smart to have a chance at landing an All-Star-level talent. Other than being a great defensive player, Smart has struggled at times offensively, which has led to some concerns about his overall production for this team.
As for Grant Williams and Romeo Langford, both young talents are expendable for the Celtics. Williams has stepped up at times this season, but is nothing more than a role player on the bench and Langford cannot seem to remain healthy enough to stay on the floor.
Losing a first-round pick this year does not really impact the Celtics either since they are not trying to build for the future. This team’s opportunity to win is right now and by leveraging some assets, they could have a chance to land an All-Star like Domantas Sabonis.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Knicks-Pacers Trade Involves Domantas Sabonis
The Indiana Pacers seem to be heading towards a rebuild and while it is much more likely that they will trade either Caris LeVert or Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis still remains the player on their roster with the most value.
He has been an All-Star for two straight seasons now and being one of the best low-post scorers in the league, trading away Sabonis could bring a lot of value both now and for the future for this organization.
Finding ways to improve defensively on the perimeter is something the Pacers need to do and Marcus Smart could certainly help them. Not to mention, T.J. McConnell is currently out indefinitely with a wrist injury, so they have a big need for a back-up facilitator and ball-handler next to Malcolm Brogdon in the backcourt.
Grant Williams (23) and Romeo Langford (22) present a future for this franchise and both guys could fit into the rotation right away without Sabonis. Langford went to school at Indiana University, so he would definitely be a fan-favorite on this team, and Williams could definitely see over 25 minutes per game in the Pacers’ frontcourt.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: This Knicks-Pacers Trade Involves Domantas Sabonis
Moving on from Domantas Sabonis would be a hard decision for this front-office to make, but at the end of the day, they are in no position to win right now. Building for the future may be something they need to consider doing right now, which is why leveraging Sabonis may be the best way for the Pacers to do so.
