Why The Indiana Pacers Do The Deal 

There’s no complex logic at play for the Pacers here. They’re rebuilding, so they ought to get younger. 

Oubre Jr. is only involved to make the money work in this deal. Realistically, the Pacers are trading Turner for Washington. For a team in their position, that’s a good trade-off. 

After all, Washington is a versatile combo big. He can guard any front-court position and man small ball units at the 5 while spacing the floor. He’ll instantly slot in as one of the most important players in a young Pacers core. 

He also, in all likelihood, won’t impact winning as much as Myles Turner in 2022-23. That’s fine.

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With a potentially historic draft on the horizon, the Pacers shouldn’t be too concerned with wins and losses next season. Player development is their top priority for now. 

Hopefully, they’ll find the right balance for team building in the process.