Indiana Pacers trade deadline primer

Shooting Guard Trades

Victor Oladipo will not be traded under any circumstance. Nobody wants that. He is a franchise icon and exceptional player. End of discussion.

On the flip side, everyone wants to trade Tyreke Evans. He is giving the team basically none of what they thought they were getting when they signed him, and he is blocking playing time for Aaron Holiday. If the team wants to play Holiday and not dish Collison or Joseph, they could flip Evans for a future asset or use him as an expiring.

They could also trade Tyreke for a player in a similar role who theoretically fits better with the team. This seems more theoretically possible, as Tyreke probably doesn’t have much value at this point of the season. But there are still some moves that could be made.

Here is one that was mused on the most recent episode of the Locked On Pacers podcast:

Jeremy Lin would slot on the second unit alongside Cojo, but he is versatile enough that he could play alongside many of the Pacers guards. He’s 6’3 and can make plays and shots from all over the court. He would be a positive addition to the squad, and getting rid of Evans would be addition by subtraction. Lin’s contract is also expiring, which would not affect the Pacers cap sheet long term.

Meanwhile, the Hawks would get Evans, which would make them worse. They want to be bad, so that’s a win for them. Throw in a second rounder, and you have a win-win trade.

Here’s one that nets the Pacers a longer term player that could help:

Hear me out. Langston Galloway makes a little over $7 million next year, which would not be ideal. But he’s a fine enough player and could soak up some minutes on the wing. The Pacers do pick up Khyri Thomas, which is the good part here, he’s a decent young player. Someone better than Evans + an asset seems like a good return for Tyreke.

Meanwhile, the Pistons get off Galloway’s money next year, which would be enticing for them and their awful cap situation. This, like the Lin deal, could be a win-win.

Here’s one more, back to Atlanta:

The Pacers could get two 2nd rounders for Evans if they are willing to take back some not great salary next season. Paying Kent Bazemore $19 million next season would suck, but he’s a good player and plays on the wing, a highly demanded position. Getting a good player and picks for Evans would be a solid move if Indy is willing to bite the bullet on that money.

Incidentally, they would no longer have Evans, which would be a benefit. Bazemore would fit much better since he could play both 2 and 3. He would be a fine edition.

Honestly, there are many ideas for Reke trades. You could come up with a bunch, but I liked these a fair bit.

The Pacers don’t need to add depth here since they have Edmond Sumner and Aaron Holiday, so Evans is probably the only shooting guard who would be traded. Keep an eye on him closer to the deadline, he seems like the most likely player to be traded.