3 ways the NBA draft lottery helped out the Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers weren’t going to move up in the NBA draft lottery, but the way things turned out, it may have helped out their offseason plans.

Sadly, nothing that happened in the NBA draft lottery made it any more likely than the Indiana Pacers would land Duke’s Zion Williamson. It did, however, potentially help out Indiana’s summer plans.

With the top pick ending in the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies getting the No. 2 pick, the Pacers stand to benefit from those results if they are active in the trade market and make the right deals.

They still would have to give up something to get something, but with those two teams potentially getting players addressing their needs, it might make things easier for Indiana to swing a deal.

It’s still a tough summer ahead of decision-making for Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers front office, but their path to making something special happen this summer might have gotten a tiny bit easier.

A Jrue Holiday deal with the Pelicans is more feasible

Before New Orleans was de facto handed Zion Williamson, they were in a position where they could just as easily try to be competitive with the right Anthony Davis trade as they might shoot for getting younger and building from scratch.

In landing the No. 1 pick, they still could lean either way — and even keep Anthony Davis, but now they’ve got a little more incentive to send Davis to the Lakers or Knicks for some of their younger players while planning to build around Zion and others.

And if they do plan to compete down the road more than now, a veteran player like Jrue Holiday isn’t as important as he would be on a team trying to make the playoffs now.

Last season Holiday averaged 21.2 points, 7.7 assists, and 5 rebounds a game on the Pelicans while playing above average defense. Other than burying his brother on the depth chart if Indiana traded for him, there are not too many potential setbacks.

While some rumors point to the Pelicans keeping Holiday, landing the No. 1 pick gives them more flexibility. And while this doesn’t mean the price tag on Jrue is any cheaper, there are more ways the Pelicans can go about their business and get back fair value.

As ESPN’s Tim Bontemps throws out, the Pacers could send Myles Turner to New Orleans in a deal. While Holiday makes more than Turner, being under the cap mixed with only a $7 million difference means Indiana would still have money left to spend on a free agent.

I can’t give you a read on the likeliness of such a deal, but it seems a lot more plausible than before the lottery.

Mike Conley to the Pacers talks may resume

Along with the Pelicans and Los Angles Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies benefitted from the lottery chaos.

With them likely eyeing Ja Morant of Murray State, they don’t need a ball handler like Mike Conley nearly as much. They’ll still demand a high price for the veteran point guard, but they can maybe be talked down a little if their future point guard is in the bag.

Previously, the price had been somewhere around “exceedingly high” before the trade deadline, but that was before the Grizzlies knew someone as good as Morant was in their future. They had to have a ball-handler like Conley before so they wouldn’t part with him easily. But now, perhaps they are willing to let Ja do his thing without a veteran getting playing time over him.

They likely still expect more than say, Aaron Holiday, a veteran, maybe they won’t need as many picks or whatever to make it happen.

The Bulls, Cavaliers, Hawks, Knicks, Wizards all moved down

Not Tryin’ for Zion is now Bracin’ for Barrett for the New York Knicks. Something similar could be said for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Chicago Bulls likely weren’t getting Zion, but they aren’t getting a top 6 pick now, either.

The Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards dropped down three spots each as well.

Five of the Eastern Conference teams slipped out of their pre-lottery positions while only the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat held firm at 13th and 14th, respectively.

For the Pacers, this is a win because the Eastern Conference didn’t get any help from the lottery and in fact, was hurt by it. If the Pelicans and Grizzlies keep their picks, then Ja and Zion aren’t in the Eastern Conference.

The effect on the conference as a whole can’t even be predicted for some time, but just the idea that the two best players from the draft won’t be making life harder for the Pacers is a win.

The NBA draft lottery didn’t bring anything new to Indiana, but the Pacers may still reap the benefits of the chaos as time goes on.