Indiana Pacers: 3 Possible Fallouts in Missing the Playoffs

Significant Roster Retooling may come for the Indiana Pacers

The five-man core of the Pacers is a potent one in theory. Problem is, all of them have their own history of exhaustive injury records. If the Blue and Gold misses the postseason for only the second time in eleven years, the front office may try to hold a fire sale, not labeling anyone as untouchable and giving in to the best offer possible. We have seen that this season with the Orlando Magic who have traded away Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier.

However, history tells us that Indiana is not a franchise that will opt to tank and completely rebuild. Remember the Paul George exit that did not yield a franchise reset? The most realistic expectation for the front office here is that they will attempt to retool, instead of a massive overhaul.

If they indeed project to liquidate their key players, there will be league-wide interest. The most frequent name mentioned in trading blocks is shot blocking artist Myles Turner, who would have been a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year if the Pacers have a better record and he is not sidelined indefinitely because of another injury. However, Indiana would be wise to demand a hefty return for the defensive menace.

Though quite iffy, trading Domantas Sabonis should remain an option for the team if they want to break up their one-two punch in the frontcourt. Though the two-time All-Star is recording an extraordinary 20/11/6 line, the numbers with Myles Turner on the court have been far better than with him on the hardwood, primarily due to his defensive limitations. It is not ideal to deal a 24-year-old who still has tremendous upside but putting him on the block will easily yield the maximum return, especially with his contract being one of the league’s best bargains.

The same can be said for Brogdon, LeVert and Warren, who should not be considered as untouchables. Each of them has All-Star skills and will similarly demand a great return in the market. Brogdon is an efficient 1-2 guard who avoids mistakes, facilitate, score in bunches, and defend. LeVert is an athletic volume scorer who thrives in pace and space. The same goes for Warren who raised eyebrows in last year’s bubble and is capable of erupting for 30 at any given night.