It was recently revealed that the Indiana Pacers were seriously considering going into a rebuild ahead of the NBA trade deadline. A full teardown is not something they have ever done before, and owner Herb Simon cleared up what the intentions of the organization were.
They wouldn’t go into a rebuild as Sam Hinkie did with the Philadelphia 76ers or what Sam Presti is doing with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, they would try and rebuild on the fly, as they have done in the past under people like Donnie Walsh.
If that meant possibly losing a game they normally wouldn’t because they gave some extra playing time to a younger player, so be it. There is also a strong possibility of making a trade to shake up the roster.
The Pacers would not seem to be as bad as their record indicates. At 13-19, they are heading toward the lottery, but the team has a positive scoring differential. They struggle in late-game moments, and if they figured things out in crunch times of those games, they could easily be in a playoff spot right now.
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Alas, something isn’t working and trade will likely occur. The question is, who will be dealt? Two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis was one of the players mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
Sabonis would likely net the Pacers the best return package, but pinpointing which teams could be interested is tough. But, if what Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer shared on The Mismatch podcast is accurate, there will be plenty of teams interested in Sabonis.
“I’ve had a handful of executives around the league tell me when it comes to Sabonis deals…they’re like, ‘Look for some teams that aren’t thinking about contending,'” O’Connor said. “Look for some teams that are maybe on the fringes or teams that are even just in the lottery.”
If there are teams at the tail end of their rebuild looking to acquire Sabonis, the Pacers’ pool of teams to negotiate with would grow a ton. There had only been a handful of teams interested, as the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings were mentioned as possible landing spots.
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The Kings would fit the description of a team on the fringe, even just inside the lottery as they juggle between in the Western Conference. The Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs are two more teams that could fit that description.
Should Domantas Sabonis be included in trade talks, there will be plenty of interest drummed up for the Indiana Pacers to cash in on a good deal.
