Is Al Jefferson on the Trade Block?

According to Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype, a Western Conference executive says the Indiana Pacers are shopping Al Jefferson.

The Indiana Pacers are on a seven-game win streak, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.

The bench is still a work in progress. The group that has seen the most time lately — Lavoy Allen, Aaron Brooks, Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, and Glenn Robinson III — has a net rating of -18.1. Whatever lead Indiana builds, it tends to disappear once the starters leave the floor.

So how can the Pacers fix it?

According to Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype, Indiana is shopping around Al Jefferson in hopes of finding more help.

"Teams Are Shopping Recently Acquired Big MenEarlier this week, a Western Conference executive told me that several teams were shopping big men that they had just added this past summer. He was somewhat surprised by this, and he mentioned Indiana’s Al Jefferson, Washington’s Ian Mahinmi and Orlando’s Serge Ibaka as some examples of recent frontcourt additions who are seemingly available."

Jefferson offers veteran leadership and when he is on the floor, he is doing plenty of work in a short amount of time.

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?

In just over 13 minutes a game, Jefferson is shooting 50.3% while averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on the season. But those numbers are weighed down by a slow start. In his last 15 games, he is shooting 56.3% from the field while scoring 10.3 points a game. His rebounds are down to 3.4 a game, but now he shares the floor with professional glass cleaner Lavoy Allen.

Kennedy doesn’t say what Indiana wants in return, but I assume another C.J. Miles type defender and shooter is one possibility. Indiana might need to package future picks and another player to get anything that gets fans excited, but Jefferson has already shown he can rack up points and rebounds even of a bench unit that is continually changing.

Next: The Indiana Pacers Need to Give Monta Ellis the Damn Ball

It is somewhat surprising that Indiana is shopping a player they recently acquired, much less the only consistent bench player, but if the Pacers are serious about making a deep playoff run, they do need more help one way or another.