Why The Indiana Pacers Do The Deal
It’s hard to get a read on this Indiana Pacers team. They’re rebuilding, yet somehow, they’re not rebuilding.
At least, team president Kevin Pritchard would have you believe they’re not. He claims that the Pacers would prefer to retool on the fly. Historically, that’s what this small market team has done.
Still, certain future-focused packages ought to be too tempting for them to pass on. This one qualifies. The Lakers’ 2027 and 2028 (via a swap) picks are too premium to decline. That holds particularly true when you’re parting with, primarily, Malcolm Brogdon.
That’s not a knock on Brogdon. He’s an excellent player. It just so happens that he’s also quite similar to Tyrese Haliburton, who the Pacers acquired at last year’s deadline. He projects as a cornerstone for this team moving forward. Moving Brogdon gets the ball in his hands as often as it needs to be in 2022-23.
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Westbrook shouldn’t take it out of them. The Pacers would likely either bench him for the year or buy him out. They’re in this deal for the picks. Are they giving up enough to entice the Lakers to part with them?
