The NBA is a place where ups and downs can happen fast and in a dramatic fashion. One season you’re an All-NBA Second-Team player, then the next, your contract is considered a negative asset. For Julius Randle, that’s what happened to him over the last two seasons.
Finding a trade suitor for Randle isn’t easy. Propose that a good NBA veteran lands on a young team, and you can expect to hear the same refrain: “Don’t rush the rebuild!”
Fair enough. The NBA’s worst teams are generally well-advised to proceed with caution as they rebuild their squad. Acquiring win-now talent too early in the process can be a one-way track to mediocrity. With that being said, every NBA team can’t operate under the same principles.
The Indiana Pacers are not like most NBA teams. They play in one of the league’s smallest markets for a diehard fanbase.
Given those circumstances, they generally avoid undertaking long-term rebuilds. This team could defy conventional wisdom by going all-in on a fringe star earlier than anyone is expecting them to.
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Julius Randle is a fringe star. In fact, he was All-NBA in 2020-21. Unfortunately, his production took a tumble last season.
Here’s a trade that sees the Pacers hoping he’ll return to form in 2022-23.