8p9s AMA Mailbag: Indiana Pacers, Meet the NBA Trade Deadline

Welcome back to the 8 Points 9 Seconds AMA mailbag, where we take your questions and make you feel internet famous because we answered them!

We’ll be using a consistent email for this process: 8p9sAMA@gmail.com. You can feel free to shoot questions over to that email or reply on Twitter to @8pts9secs or @will_furr using hashtag #8p9sAMA or visit our Facebook page to leave comments.

You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers.

More from Pacers News

• 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

Jimbo J: Who could the Pacers realistically give up to get Ricky Rubio? 

Two trades in one year with the Timberwolves! What a time to be alive.

Realistically? It’s going to be a tough trade to accomplish. Minnesota will likely want to attach Kevin Martin’s contract to any Rubio trade, and won’t want to take long-term money back, if possible. (And people in hell want ice water, I know). There will be other offers out there if Minny decides to go this route, but realistically, something like Rubio/Martin for George Hill/C.J. Miles/Jordan Hill works, and gives the Timberwolves three useful players, all on reasonable contracts.

Is that enough? Probably not considering the age of all those guys. Minny will likely want a pick or a younger guy instead. And while Ricky is nice, I don’t know that Bird will want to give up a pick.

However, if Minnesota just wants to get out of the long-term money associated with Rubio and Martin, there are ways.

Getting rid of those 2 guys, combined with the salary cap spike next year, would leave Minnesota nearly enough to offer two max deals to any players who might be interested in playing with Andrew Wiggins, Karl Anthony Towns, and the enigmatic Zach Levine. If they just wanted to dump salary, get a pick, and try to lure free agents next year, a trade surrounding someone like an old blue and gold staple would be much more likely …

All that being said, if the Pacers play any combination of Monta Ellis, Ricky Rubio, and Rodney Stuckey at the same time, our friends over at the @MillerTimePod might start lighting things on fire over the complete and total lack of shooting.

Indiana Knows Bball: What’s the probability the Indiana Pacers make a move? 

Trying to guess what’s going on in Larry Bird’s mind at this time of year might melt your face like a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it seems like a move is likely. Despite the team being about where most analysts predicted (if not better), it seems like Bird feels the team is underachieving.

That being said, the Pacers don’t have a lot to offer other teams. They’re not trading Paul George or Myles Turner, and I doubt they’re giving a first-round pick for anything either. That leaves Monta Ellis (who took less money to come to Indiana and is already a locker room leader), Rodney Stuckey (who probably couldn’t pass a physical right now and who also took less money to play here), George Hill (a decent trade chip), C.J. Miles (who hasn’t looked good most of the year), and filler.

The Pacers could offer cap relief (Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and Solomon Hill are all on expiring deals), but with the salary cap spiking, expiring contracts are less valuable than ever. There are already more teams with more money to spend than there are free agents to spend it on.

So my bet would be that the Pacers are involved in a lot of big discussions, but either only make a small move or are a peripheral part of a bigger deal. Being a third party to a major trade could net the Pacers a decent draft pick, however, and wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

Esteban: What would Jordan Hill’s value be, considering his production and team-friendly contract?

Jordan Hill has produced for the Pacers this year, and a one-year, $5 million contract is imminently tradable, but Hill’s likely looking at a pay raise this offseason. Unless a contender out there thinks he can put them over the top, the Pacers aren’t likely to get much more than a second round pick like they got in the Roy Hibbert deal.

It’s possible, albeit extremely unlikely, that some team lacking a legitimate backup center (like the L.A. Clippers?) could decide having a 2nd string big man is crucial, but the Pacers aren’t likely to gain much from trading him, unless they want to lose more games and maneuver for a better draft pick. And that’s not in the Pacers DNA.

The team hopes to do well in the playoffs and Jordan Hill can help in that goal more than he can gain the team long-term in any deal. So don’t expect to see him shipped off unless he is salary filler in some larger deal that actually nets Indiana something significant.

Bruno A: Who are the Pacers players on the block for the deadline? 

Short answer: Everyone not named Paul George or Myles Turner. Long answer: The Pacers don’t really have any bad contracts they’re looking to move, so the only people “on the block” would be guys like Chase Budinger, Solomon Hill, and maybe a Jordan Hill/Lavoy Allen type guy. Which is like putting your 1987 Honda on eBay — don’t expect a lot of calls inquiring.

Tony: On a scale of a bag of turnips to a 1979 Ford Pinto, what are Solomon Hill and Chase Budinger’s trade value at this point? 

First of all, Ford Pintos are now considered classics, and worth much more than either player. Legitimately, Solomon Hill’s recent inspired play might have bumped his value up to the neighborhood of a second-round pick. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pacers traded Solo for another project guy who hasn’t panned out in a minor “change of scenery” type deal.

Alternatively, I can see the Pacers trading Solomon Hill to the San Antonio Spurs, where he becomes the second coming of Kawhi Leonard and develops a lethal 3-point shot on his way to winning two titles.

Budinger has almost no trade value, unless some team needs to create just a bit more cap room to go after a max guy next year or something of the like.

Jeff L: Do you see the Jeff Teague trade as a viable option for the Pacers? If so, how do you think it will affect the current lineup and overall team chemistry moving forward? 

If the Pacers can somehow steal Jeff Teague without giving up any of Paul George/Myles Turner/George Hill/1st round pick, I think they absolutely should.

However, without giving up any of that, there’s not much Atlanta would likely want. Jeff Teague might be a better point guard in a vacuum that George Hill — he’s faster, probably a better passer, and younger — but George Hill is invaluable to the Pacers. His defense and shooting are critical for the Pacers, and while Teague is faster and probably fits what Larry Bird wants to do better, starting Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis at the 1 and 2 is probably a defensive disaster with their lack of size.