The Indiana Pacers have made two relatively big deals ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. They were a team that said they were going to be sellers at the deadline so they could reshape the roster and they have done just that.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has reported that the Pacers are finalizing a deal with the Phoenix Suns. Indiana will be sending Torrey Craig to the desert in exchange for Jalen Smith and a second-round pick.
The Suns have been in the market for some more depth on the wing and get some with a familiar face in Craig. Craig played with the Suns for 32 games last season after being acquired in a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was an integral part of their run to the NBA Finals and will likely play a similar role this season.
As for the Pacers, they add a little more draft capital to their stockpile and get a free look at Smith, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. With how fast the Phoenix Suns’ timeline changed, the raw big man prospect no longer had a place in Phoenix, who even declined the third-year option on his rookie deal.
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Indiana will get to see if he is worth investing cap space into this offseason. With Domantas Sabonis being traded to the Sacramento Kings, there are minutes available in the frontcourt that Smith could soak up.
But, he will have to earn them. 2021 first-round pick Isaiah Jackson and 2019 first-round pick Goga Bitadze will also be vying for minutes on a Pacers team that will spend the remainder of the 2021-22 season evaluating its young talent.
Indiana has now made three trades in total. They parted ways with Sabonis, Caris LeVert, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb and a 2027 second-round pick and got back Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Ricky Rubio, Tristan Thompson, Jalen Smith a 2022 first-round pick and multiple second-round picks.
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The Indiana Pacers could still have some more moves to make as well. There have been some reports that Hield could be flipped again for more assets and Myles Turner is still around. But, they would have to be blown away by an offer for the big man, as the team reportedly has big plans for Turner in the future.
