What could the Pacers get in return for their first round draft pick?

As much as the Pacers should be scouting every prospect available to take with the 18th pick, they should also be exploring a trade sending that pick out for an established player.

Last summer, after all the scouting was done, after all the experts had made their predictions, and after every blogger wrote their opinion piece, the 2016 NBA draft began. Just like any other draft, many aspects were easy to predict. Ben Simmons went number one, the Thunder swindled another team and the Kings did something stupid. It was all happening like clockwork. Once the lottery is over, anything can happen on draft night, and that’s part of what draws so many fans to the event.

The Pacers were one of those teams that picked after the lottery. They had drawn intrigue from many other teams, they could have done anything last year. They could have traded up, they could have traded down or they could have followed the Draft Express mock draft and picked Dejounte Murray (sigh). But the Pacers did a move that was widely considered the best Pacers move of the offseason during the 2016 draft: they traded out.

The Pacers sent the 20th pick and a second rounder (protected 45-60 from 2018-2020) to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for power forward Thaddeus Young. Young was an immediate starter for the Pacers and an unquestioned leader in the rotation. Young played 30 minutes a game, and since the Pacers were hard pressed to find help for Paul George, this trade made perfect sense for them at the time.

This year, the Pacers are in an interesting spot. Balancing their hopes to keep Paul George with their hopes to rebuild if he leaves put the Pacers in a tough position going into the draft. The Pacers hold pick No. 18, which presents the possibility of drafting a good young player because of the depth of the draft. However, building a good team that Paul George would want to stay on is rumored to be the first priority for the front office. That opens up worlds of possibilities for trading the 18th pick in this years draft.

Many trade opportunities will probably exist, and the Pacers would (probably) only make a trade if it expedites either the “keep Paul George” or the “start a rebuild” timelines. Let’s explore some options the Pacers could have if they do decide to trade the 18th pick and talk about why they would make the trade (aka which timeline the trade would fall on).