Pacers Prefer ‘Win-Now’ Trade Targets To Make Playoff Push

Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, NBA Trade Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

The Indiana Pacers currently find themselves in a tough position as a franchise as the NBA trade deadline. They are a bad basketball team that prides themselves on making the playoffs and the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft is considered as being quite top-heavy.

If they end up continuing to push for a playoff spot or even make a move at the NBA trade deadline to better their chances of doing so, they risk missing the playoffs altogether and having a much later pick in the 2022 NBA Draft than they could have had. As a result, they could miss out on a franchise-altering talent.

There was previous reporting about the Pacers looking to rebuild but that has since been shot down by the team owner himself—making it clear the team will never tank.

“Why would we want to go through a rebuild when we can build on the go?” Pacers owner Herb Simon recently told local reporters. “We’re not a franchise that’s going to dump to get a better pick. We’re going to try to win every game. Sometimes, we’ll develop rookies who may cost us a game, but we’ll never go into a game to lose while I’m an owner. I don’t believe in that. Some teams do, but I don’t believe in that.”

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While tearing down the roster to tank for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft clearly isn’t in the cards for the Pacers, a change will be needed in order to get back into the playoff race. Only the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons have a worse record in the Eastern Conference.

The team still has a two-big man tandem in Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis while also not having a legit No. 1 option with Caris LeVert and Malcolm Brogdon each attempting to be that. More is needed and an identity is among the list of things the Indiana Pacers must carve out.

According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Pacers will ‘listen’ to offers that feature a lot of draft picks but their ‘preference’ is to ‘receive players who can help them regain playoff status.’

Indiana will listen to offers with a lot of draft picks, but the team’s preference is to receive players who can help them regain playoff status, according to league sources. Think about theoretical targets such as De’Aaron Fox, Ben Simmons, and Pascal Siakam—guys who are of near-equal value to Sabonis and Turner, or even upgrades.

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The Pacers were linked to Ben Simmons quite often and even made ‘one last call’ to the Philadelphia 76ers about a trade prior to Malcolm Brogdon agreeing to his contract extension before the season. That could be a name to watch, even if a deal appears unfeasible due to the Sixers’ goals with a deal.

It may already be too late for the Pacers to even have a chance to reasonably gain positioning to earn a spot in the play-in tournament. They trail the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks in the stands by three games and they are teams who wouldn’t even make the play-in if it started today.

From our perspective, Ben Simmons’ limitations as a shot creator should be concerning for the Pacers given the team lacks much for pull-up shooting threats. However, other names like De’Aaron Fox and Pascal Siakam are interesting to think about but they each have limitations that prevent them from being a No. 1 option on a highly successful team.

Regardless, the Indiana Pacers remain a team to watch at the NBA trade deadline.

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