The Indiana Pacers might not make a big trade, but they should pursue a minor upgrade.
As always, this year’s trade buzz around the Indiana Pacers focuses on upgrading at point guard. Jeff Teague and Ricky Rubio have been mentioned, naturally, as they sees as more of the true point guard type than George Hill.
But upgrading at point guard shouldn’t be among Larry Bird and the front office’s goals.
In fact, Indiana shouldn’t upgrade at any position in the starting unit. George Hill and Monta Ellis are finding a way to fit together, and Myles Turner and Ian Mahinmi combine to be a front court full of shot blocking, playmaking, and shooting. And that’s all surrounding Paul George.
This year is more about figuring out the type of players Frank Vogel needs to make pace and space work. There won’t be a small-ball four — at least for this year, as Mahinmi could bolt come July and Turner could slide to center — with Turner providing enough shooting now to space things out. Developing a 3-point shot is obviously on Turner’s to-do list, but that’s nothing to worry about this season.
The pacier and spacier lineups might have to come from the bench. That is tough with Jordan Hill and Lavoy Allen playing closer to the rim, but shooters around Rodney Stuckey (when he returns from injury) could be big for the second unit. The less appealing option post-deadline would be Joe Young playing with Stuckey, C.J. Miles, Allen, and Hill. Young can shoot it, but he has shown to be better with the ball than playing off it. Miles will be in there whether he’s hot or not, but in anticipation of the cold streaks, the Pacers should look to add a shooter.
My pick would be Omri Casspi.
Casspi is currently coming off the Kings bench and is perhaps one of the best values in the league, being locked in through next season at just $3 million.
Sacramento has been all over the rumor mill, reportedly willing to move Ben McLemore, perhaps for a wing defender like Thabo Sefolosha. Casspi has not been mentioned by credible sources as a candidate to move, and it’s hard to imagine them moving a productive player on such a good contract with the cap rise coming. Even now, $3 million is already a small contract — imagine that under a $90 million cap.
But it’s worth engaging the Kings. Indiana is looking to move Chase Budinger and his $5 million expiring deal, but Solomon Hill might be more worth the Kings’ time. He will be coming off his rookie deal this summer and shouldn’t see much of a raise, even with teams having more money to operate with. Hill doesn’t bring the same skills as Casspi — especially behind the 3-point line — but he does bring energy on defense and has finally figured out how to finish at the rim this year.
Hill attached to a second-round pick — perhaps alongside Glenn Robinson or Joe Young — might be a good bet for the Kings, though they are stuck in that terrible place of wanting to compete but not being good enough, and still trying to win. Those teams usually become buyers, not sellers, like the Phoenix Suns the past few years.
(Note: Suns could be considered sellers by some as they shipped out Goran Dragic for future first rounders as well as Isaiah Thomas, but acquiring Brandon Knight for the 2016 Lakers top-three protected first round pick suggests otherwise.)
Speaking of the Suns, a more realistic trade target might be Mirza Teletovic.
Trading Budinger straight-up for Teletovic makes sense money wise, as Teletovic is set to make just $500,000 more than Budinger before both contracts expire at the end of this season.
Phoenix doesn’t just give players away, though, as we saw a few years back when Indiana traded Gerald Green, Miles Plumlee, and its 2014 first-round pick (became T.J. Warren) for Luis Scola. They would likely ask for Glenn Robinson III, Joe Young, or some sort of a pick in addition to Bud.
Teletovic is a full-time stretch-four, unlike Casspi, who can play both forwards positions. The Pacers would probably be better off trading for a wing to replace the lackluster production of Budinger, Hill, and Glenn Robinson III have produced there this season.
Or, they could just stand pat. They might get to the second round with this team, and getting past Toronto or Boston in the second round would be pretty tough whether they trade for someone or not. Waiting until summer to make moves is never bad, especially as a team that won’t win this year.
I wouldn’t expect anything major, but keep an eye on a deal similar to those mentioned here coming to fruition.