What could the Pacers get in return for their first round draft pick?
By Tony East
This trade is similar to the draft pick with Portland from earlier. The Magic have no need for three more young players. They need more contributors as they move into contributing more in the Eastern conference. The Pacers are about to be moving into a rebuild, so getting three solid picks could be more useful than just one decent one.
The Magic need better draft picks. They have been bad every season since they traded Dwight Howard, and they need something to excite fans. Aaron Gordon and two top-20 picks would be enough to do that and would make the team far better. The Magic have four roster spots and four draft picks, so it might make sense to trade up so they can use some of their roster spots more constructively.
For the Pacers, this would signify the team is moving in a direction away from Paul George. They would be drafting three young players in hopes that one or more of them turns out. They could have up to nine years of cost control on three contributors if they hit on all the picks, and that is exactly what the Pacers would need if they move on from Paul George: a plethora of young contributors.