Indiana Pacers should/should not extend Domantas Sabonis?

With the NBA’s contract extension deadline today, should or should not the Indiana Pacers extend Domantas Sabonis’ current contract?

The Indiana Pacers are put in a tough position, whether or not to extend the walking double-double, Domantas Sabonis.

The past two seasons have provided Pacers fans with optimism regarding Sabonis and his potential.

However, due to his recent success and youth, the big man has garnered the attention of the entire NBA. This has caused Sabonis to be an intriguing trade piece as well as potential offseason acquisition after this season concludes.

This has led to considering whether or not the Pacers should extend the contract of Sabonis.

The 6-11 lefty has only improved over time and has yet to reach his ceiling. But as a result of his productive 2018-2019 campaign, the price tag of keeping the power forward / center has risen tremendously.

So high that Sabonis and his camp want him to be paid like one of the league’s top big men (his teammate Myles Turner).

Despite the reported asking price by Sabonis and his team, in some instances, you have to make sacrifices. This is an example of where the Pacers may have to do so.

As the 2019-2020 season opens this Wednesday, the Pacers coaching staff is set to institute a starting lineup that includes both Sabonis and Turner. This combination has been tested in the past, however, with new faces on the floor for the team, the experiment was set to continue and potentially flourish.

Since coming to the Pacers as a package deal, Victor Oladipo and Sabonis have been faces of the franchise. The leadership and professionalism they have brought have correlated to heightened team chemistry and morale that has translated to on-the-court success.

In a league that experiences a tremendous amount of turnover amongst its rosters, organizations need to find players who embody a team-first mentality, Sabonis is that piece to the Pacers’ puzzle.

Long-term, extending Sabonis may put the Pacers in a financial bind as other players on the roster will be looking for their paydays in the future. However, if the organization is attempting to win now in an Eastern Conference that has no clear frontrunner, extending Sabonis is the best option for immediate success.

Extending Sabonis will give the big man confidence that he has a team and organization that stands behind him. An extension indicates what Sabonis can bring to the table this season and in the future.

Sabonis has a wealth of production ahead of him. For the Pacers, it would be wise to have the 23-year-old on the roster as he reaches his prime and full potential. Sabonis is a throwback in the way he impacts the game on both sides of the floor and in today’s NBA, a talent like that is rare and one the Pacers should keep around.