8p9s Roundtable: What Will the Pacers Do Before the Trade Deadline?

Which player rumored to be on the trade block would you most like to see the Indiana Pacers acquire?

Tim Donahue: Goran Dragic is the most attractive from a skill-set perspective, but the price to keep him — a possible max deal that could pay him an average of more than $20 million over the next four or five years — is just too much. I have concerns about Enes Kanter, primarily at the defensive end, and the Pacers seem to be moving farther away from a reunion with Lance Stephenson. Isaiah Thomas is probably the best of the names I can think of. He brings skills the Pacers don’t have and a really reasonable contract, but his size is a poor fit for the Vogel’s defensive philosophies and schemes.

William Furr: Would love to see the Indiana Pacers acquire Goran Dragic. I have always loved his game, and I think he and George Hill would make a terrifying back-court duo alongside of Paul George. Having Dragic to share the lead ball-handling responsibilities with Hill would free him to be more aggressive, and I think he would make everyone around him better. Two questions stand, however: What would the Pacers have to give up for him (aside from a 1st round pick), and would he re-sign with the team?

Goran Dragic is the most attractive from a skill-set perspective, but the price to keep him is just too much.

Whitney Medworth: Not Lance Stephenson. Does that count as an answer? It appears the Hornets are still trying to send him off to a new location, and with Paul George on the mend, I don’t want the Pacers thinking it’s time to get the band back together. It also looks like Dragic is off the table, and I’m not sold on Enes Kanter, so I’ll wait and see if Larry Bird has any tricks up his sleeve.

Justin Ochoa: There are many attractive names up for grabs as the trade deadline approaches, but the likelihood of most of the big names finding their way to Indiana is pretty low. I’ve got to think that the Indiana Pacers are out of the conversation for Brook Lopez, Enes Kanter, and Goran Dragic. Additionally, I think the Lance Stephenson-back-to-Indiana story is pretty much dead. I do think that it would be just as attractive for the Pacers to acquire a player like Thad Young or Isiah Thomas. Both could potentially help the Pacers organization in the long run, and both players have reasonable contracts that could be accommodated in Indiana. I wouldn’t mind seeing either of them in the blue and gold.

Jon Washburn: If we are purely talking about realistic scenarios, Lance Stephenson is the most attractive option. Sure, a back court of Goran Dragic and George Hill would be awesome and fun, but the Pacers would have to really give up a lot to get a guy that may not even re-sign this summer. Wing depth, or rather quality on the wing, is still the biggest weakness on this squad, and the Pacers might be able to get Stephenson, a proven asset in Indiana, for a reasonable price.

Next: Buyers or Sellers?