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

Jared Wade

Jan 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward David West (21) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

indiana pacers david west — Jan 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers forward David West (21) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers, like all the other teams in the NBA, have until Thursday to make a trade deadline. Once that deadline passes on February 19, the team will be (basically) set in stone as it tries to make a hard playoffs push in March and April.

What will Larry Bird do?

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?

Are the Indiana Pacers more likely to be buyers or sellers before the deadline?

Donahue: If the Pacers are involved in anything significant, I have to believe it will be as buyers. They are firmly in make-the-playoffs mode, so I would be gobsmacked, if they moved David West or Roy Hibbert for the rebuild pupu platter of cap relief, draft picks, and prospects. They do have a glut of bigs, and they may be willing to move one of Luis Scola, Lavoy Allen, or Ian Mahinmi for wing help or a pick, but injuries will make them cautious.

Furr: The day Larry Legend is a deadline seller while his team is in the playoff race may eventually come, but I can’t see it happening this year. Bird is the kind of guy who abhors losing, and I couldn’t fathom him intentionally making this team worse so it would lose more.

Medworth: They are definitely buyers. The playoffs are still within reach and we know Larry is always in “win now” mode. He’s out there looking for any pieces, big or small, he can add to this team to get back into the playoffs. The one thing that could potentially be sold is the excess of big men on the Pacers bench. I could see Luis Scola being sent in a package deal.

Ochoa: If the Pacers decided to make moves this season, I believe they would be more of a buyer than a seller. I could see the Pacers using upcoming draft picks as trade bait to avoid “selling” premier players. I’m not all that certain that the Pacers will get active before the deadline though.

Washburn: I certainly don’t see the Pacers, an organization that’s allergic to tanking and is pressing hard to make the playoffs, selling anything. It’s unclear whether real assets are available for the Pacers to “buy” right now, but Larry Bird will definitely try to do everything possible to help his team.

Next: Major Moves Ahead?

Do you expect the Indiana Pacers to make a major move before the deadline?

Donahue: No. There really isn’t a “major” move to be made without dealing Roy Hibbert. The Pacers have shown no interest in breaking up their core to this point. Their recent resurgent play — four wins in five games, second-best offensive rating in February so far — won’t disabuse them of this attitude. They’ll make a big move, if they think it can’t help them win now, but I can’t imagine any realistic deals that meet that criteria.

Furr: I think a major move is very possible. Bird has long had eyes for Goran Dragic, and Larry Bird hates losing. The Pacers have a number of guys who could bring back decent return on middling-sized contracts, and those types of contracts sometimes add up nicely to match a single, larger contract.

Medworth: I don’t see anything major happening. Again, maybe Larry has been working on something in private, which he tends to do, but I just don’t know what the Pacers can really offer other teams at this point. The current guys, including last year’s starters, are finally getting into a nice rhythm. So I assume if anything happens it will be small.

Ochoa: I do not expect the Pacers to make any major moves before the deadline. Although this season hasn’t turned out to be as successful as the organization expected, everyone knows the reason why. The team that is out there on the court every night is not an accurate representation of where the Indiana Pacers are in relation to chasing the NBA title. I think the Pacers will need to see at least 30 games with Paul George at 100% to be able to know if a “major” change needs to happen. In the Pacers case, the only legitimate “major” change would be dealing Hibbert, West, or George Hill.

Washburn: No. I don’t think they are averse to it, I just don’t think any moves are out there. Further, I’m not sure they think they need to make a major move. They’ve been playing above .500 ball ever since George Hill got healthy, and if they continue their recent play, the 7-seed is in range.

Next: Time for a Tweak?

Do you expect the Indiana Pacers to make a minor move before the deadline?

Donahue: Not really. They’ll be active, but they don’t have a lot of easy trading assets. They do have all of their picks, but they shouldn’t be spending those on marginal moves. I think it will be a quiet deadline for your Indiana Pacers.

Furr: I don’t think the Pacers will make a minor move. The Pacers have a lot of guys the front office is keen on in different roles, and their end-of-the-bench players (Donald Sloan, Shayne Whittington, Lavoy Allen) have all shown flashes this year and gotten praise from the guys upstairs. It would be strange to see Bird flip any of them unless it’s a part of a bigger shakeup.

There are not a lot of options out there currently, but with how the Pacers season has played out, I think they’ll stay active on the phones.

Medworth: I would not be surprised if Larry was able to make a small tweak to the lineup before the deadline. There are not a lot of options out there currently, but with how the Pacers season has played out, I think they’ll stay active on the phones. They’re still only two games out of the 7th and 8th seed, so if there is something Larry wants, he’ll get it.

Ochoa: The Pacers will probably remain sedentary through the trade deadline. I don’t see any changes occurring, and I’m definitely O.K. with that. When Paul George returns, he’ll come back to an Indiana Pacers team with a more experienced bench than he’s ever seen. The Pacers will also have some solid draft picks, too. It could be a good thing to just ride it out and work with what they have.

Washburn: No. The Pacers are in a weird spot, really. Of course, the current healthy team isn’t a contender, but they really only have one weakness: wing play. Ian Mahinmi and Luis Scola are both above-average backups in the front court, and Lavoy Allen gives them a solid five-man frontcourt rotation that few teams have. C.J. Watson is a very good backup, and George Hill is obviously a quality starter when healthy. The Solomon Hill/Rodney Stuckey/C.J. Miles/Damjan Rudez quartet has obviously been up and down, but the return of Paul George will … well … it will help considerably. Could Indiana package Scola and another player to slightly upgrade another spot? Perhaps. But I’m not sure that would really make them a better team.

Next: Re-Acquiring Paul George

Is “acquiring” a healthy Paul George the best move the Indiana Pacers could make to get into the playoffs?

Donahue: Getting Paul George back in March (with all the caveats about not rushing back, blah, blah, blah) is probably the best thing that could happen to the Pacer franchise, regardless of the playoff implications. The sooner he gets back on the court, the soon he starts building back to being the player he was. It may feel far away, but the clock is already ticking on the end of Paul George’s extension. PG has a player option for his fifth year. If the Pacers want to keep George beyond that, they’ll have to prove they can rebuild a contender. The longer they have a healthy, productive Paul George in that time, the better chance they’ll have to accomplish that.

Furr: Yes. Paul George is a top-10 NBA player when healthy, and provides spacing and defense that no one on the team can match. PG will almost certainly struggle in his return, but even 75% of Paul George is a step up over the likes of Solomon Hill and Chris Copelan — guys who may not be ready for the size of the role they’re facing.

Medworth: I don’t feel comfortable with “Paul George returning” and “making the playoffs” having a correlation. I’d actually be more comfortable if Paul could return when the Pacers aren’t in a playoff push that way he has no pressure. Ideally, I think you would want him to come in and play 10 minutes a night as he continues to get his strength back. A playoff push could make that way more stressful, both mentally and physically.

Ochoa: This might not be a popular answer, especially with the looming memory of Derrick Rose’s failed comebacks, but I think Paul George needs to get back on the court ASAP. There is no way to truly get to 100% until you get back into game shape. Paul can practice all he wants, train with the greatest trainers in the world and participate in Pro-Am leagues over the Summer, but only playing in NBA games will help him return to the player he was prior to the injury. He needs to experience the speed of the game, develop the proper conditioning, and create in-game chemistry with his new teammates. If he could play in 10-15 games this year, even at a limited capacity, that would help his comeback enormously. In the end, that will help the Indiana Pacers.

Washburn: I actually believe the Pacers (provided they stay healthy) will make the playoffs without Paul George, but a healthy PG could make them a threat to actually win a series. Unless there is another move out there that brings in a top-15 player who might be the best defender in the league without giving up anything in return … then yeah, no other move could come close.

Next: David West for Terrence Ross Trade in the Works?

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Jared Wade

Jared Wade is columnist at FanSided and editor of 8 Points, 9 Seconds. Follow him on Twitter @Jared_Wade.