8p9s Roundtable: Trade Deadline Disappointment
By Jared Wade
The Indiana Pacers did nothing at the trade deadline. Will this hurt them for the rest of the year?
Jon Washburn: No. If the Pacers are hurt by anything for the rest of the year, it will be injuries. But those would have been unavoidable regardless of whether they made a move. I’m aware of no trades that would have considerably improved the team without getting rid of a future draft pick, and I think Indiana will need those draft picks.
Tim Donahue: Probably not. It’s hard to define opportunity cost, when you don’t see any clear missed opportunities. The roster isn’t finished, but most of the changes will occur over years, not months. It is probably best for all concerned to let Frank Vogel and the players establish some continuity, after playing mix-and-match and experimenting over the first 50+ games.
Whitney Medworth: No not really. They haven’t had a consistent rotation yet. It potentially could have just made things worse.
Jared Wade: Somewhat. They could have used a slight upgrade given the shooting tailspin of C.J. Miles and injury issues of Rodney Stuckey. Moreover, the Pistons and Hornets — two teams nipping on Indiana’s heels in playoff seeding — both made upgrades.
Will Furr: No. This was always the most likely to happen. The Pacers didn’t have any real assets they would be willing to move — Paul George/Myles Turner/first-round picks probably weren’t on the table — so they weren’t going to get much better unless they got very, very lucky. They’ll get Stuckey back, rotations will iron out. This was probably the best move for the Pacers.
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