The Indiana Pacers had high hopes for the 2021-22 NBA season after hiring coach Rick Carlisle last offseason. With solid veteran talent at every position, there was a sense they could compete despite the Eastern Conference becoming more competitive.
It didn’t take long for things to unravel for the Pacers. T.J. Warren ended up never appearing in a single game due to a stress fracture in his foot. With one of the toughest schedules in the NBA to begin the season, a 1-6 start snowballed as more injuries began to pile up.
It was clear there was no outlook for the Pacers to recover from the 19-37 record they held as of the midseason trade deadline. The circumstances were clear; changes were needed. They lacked the right franchise cornerstone to build around and the double bigs lineup with Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner was overdue for a breakup.
Sabonis is now a member of the Sacramento Kings and the Pacers have Tyrese Haliburton as the central focus of their rebuilding efforts. Indiana will need to add more young building blocks to establish a foundation that can develop into being a real threat. The main mechanism they have at their disposal is the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Indiana Pacers Among Teams Talks To Trade Up For Jaden Ivey
One prospect that stands out as an intriguing option for the Pacers is Jaden Ivey. The 6-foot-4 guard played two seasons at Purdue and is coming off a 2021-22 season with averages of 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
“If that opportunity comes my way, I would be definitely very happy coming from my upbringing,” Ivey said about the possibility of being drafted by the Pacers in a Q&A on Bleacher Report. “Being an Indiana kid, being in Indiana my whole life, so that would be amazing…”
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Indiana Pacers Among Teams In Talks To Trade Up For Jaden Ivey
In a conversation with NBA Analysis Network, one former league executive expressed his belief that a trade-up to gain positioning to select Ivey is a move the Pacers must make — likening the situation to the Dallas Mavericks’ trade-up effort for Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“I’m not comparing the two players when I say this, just the situations. Take the Mavs for example when they traded up a few spots from the 5th pick to get Luka. Dallas took advantage of a bad season they aren’t used to having and made the most of it by trading up to get their guy. The Pacers like to compete. They are used to being a perennial playoff team. They should do what it takes to move up a couple of spots to get their guy.”
The Pacers have been linked among the potential trade suitors for the No. 4 overall pick, which is held by the Kings. The specifics surrounding a potential trade package to get it done can be challenging to sort out given Sacramento’s aspirations to acquire a win-now player that fits their roster centered around De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis.
LATEST NBA DRAFT NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Indiana Pacers Among Teams In Talks To Trade Up For Jaden Ivey
Perhaps the Indiana Pacers could take a page out of the Dallas Mavericks’ book and send out a future first-round pick in order to entice the Sacramento Kings into making a deal? They could get creative with the No. 6 overall pick and the future pick to acquire a key contributor. Perhaps the Pacers could gauge the Kings’ interest in Chris Duarte as another option.
