NBA Draft Lottery: The Indiana Pacers will have options

The Indiana Pacers will be in the NBA Draft Lottery in 2021 and will have the chance to explore a number of directions as they search for long-term success. With plenty of talent on the current roster, the Pacers could get back on the right track after this draft.

Small markets have found success this season and hitting on draft picks has been the biggest factor for doing so. The Bucks and Suns have each reached their Conference Finals thanks to their own draft picks shining.

The Indiana Pacers will have options after the NBA Draft Lottery

Indiana does not yet have a head coach in place for the upcoming season after moving on from Nate Bjorkgren. Whoever is selected to replace him will have Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, and Myles Turner at their disposal to shape the roster how they see fit.

Trading one or more of those guys to bring in more help on the wing should be in play as that was the biggest weakness for the Pacers last season. The new head coach will also have a lottery selection that can be used to bring in more depth or as a trade chip to bring a veteran leader to the roster.

One trade option that sticks out involves the Pacers and Warriors. Myles Turner, Jeremy Lamb, and the draft pick (likely No. 13 overall) to the Warriors in exchange for Andrew Wiggins has to be considered by both sides. The Warriors are paying a lot of money to their wings but with Klay Thompson finally returning, the need for Wiggins is dipping.

Of course, if Indiana does not feel like they can win right now, using their draft pick to bring in a young player for the future is the easiest option. Assuming the Pacers stay at pick 13, the talent will be there to find some contributors.

Players like Moses Moody, Scottie Barnes, and Ziaire Williams will be in Indiana’s range but Barnes is probably the safest bet to be gone before the Pacers are on the clock. If they want to draft wing this year after neglecting that spot in recent drafts, the talent will be there.

They could also look at guards with this pick as they plan for a future without T.J. McConnell or Aaron Holiday. Baylor guards Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler are both late-lottery projections with shooting and defensive upside. Australian playmaker Josh Giddey is another exciting young guard to keep an eye on with that pick.

It may be a while before the Pacers are back to competing in the Eastern Conference like they did less than a decade ago. Still, hitting on this draft pick after finally getting into the lottery would be instrumental in turning their fortune around. Who knows, maybe they will win the NBA Draft Lottery and pick even higher than expected.