The Indiana Pacers are one team that plenty of people are going to be watching as we head toward the NBA trade deadline. They are not a franchise that goes into full rebuilds, but they could certainly use a shake-up and retooling of the roster.
With Myles Turner currently injured, possibly taking him off the trade block, Caris LeVert has garnered a lot of attention on the rumor mill.
It sounds as if there is a strong possibility that he is on the move ahead of the February 10th deadline. Another name to keep an eye on is Domantas Sabonis.
Sabonis was one of the three players mentioned earlier in the season, along with Turner and LeVert, that the Pacers could look to move in their rebuilding effort. Only one of Turner and Sabonis was likely to be on the move, so with Turner ailing, it could be Sabonis.
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Acquiring the two-time All-Star will not be cheap. The Pacers will be looking for a haul that will help lay the foundation for their future. On a recent episode of The HoopsHype Podcast, it was revealed what it would take to land Domantas Sabonis in a trade.
Regarding Domantas Sabonis, one NBA executive told me he doesn’t see the Pacers moving Sabonis unless they get a Nikola Vucevic type of package in return as Orlando did when they traded the All-Star center to Chicago last season.
The Chicago Bulls traded Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., a 2021 first-round pick and a 2023 first-round pick in exchange for Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu. That is likely the baseline and absolute minimum that the Indiana Pacers would accept for Sabonis.
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Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic both have two All-Star appearances, but Vucevic was 30-years old when the Bulls acquired him. He is entering the backend of his prime, while Sabonis isn’t even in his prime yet. The Gonzaga product is only 25-years old and has plenty of basketball ahead of him.
The draft capital would be nice for Indiana, as they could use that to swing a trade for an upgrade down the line. Acquiring a young, high-upside player, as the Magic did with Carter, would also be imperative for them as they want to remain as competitive as possible, not go into a full tear-down rebuild.
