Should the Indiana Pacers trade back in the NBA Draft?

The Indiana Pacers are in the lottery for the 2021 NBA Draft and will have several options to consider. When they are on the clock with the 13th overall pick, they may want to make some phone calls about trading back a few spots.

Things can go south in the draft if the board falls poorly for the Pacers, leaving them to choose between prospects that do not necessarily fit their plans. Getting extra picks in hopes of connecting on one might be worth the risk of moving down.

Should the Indiana Pacers trade down in the NBA Draft?

In an ideal world, the Indiana Pacers will sit at 13th overall and have a player they love fall into their laps. Personally, that player is Moses Moody. If he makes it to the 13th pick, the Pacers should rush to the podium to get his name turned in.

In reality, Moody and other highly-regarded prospects can fly off the board prior to Indiana’s selection. If Moody, Keon Johnson, Josh Giddey, and James Bouknight are all gone when the Pacers are on the clock, they have to seriously consider trading back and securing an extra pick later in the first round.

The Pacers currently have two picks at the end of the second round that will help them build a Summer League roster and maybe even the G-League unit next season. But they still need more impactful players that can contribute in the NBA right away.

There are three teams with multiple first-round picks after the Pacers at 13 that could potentially look to move up. The Thunder hold picks 16 and 18 but have a history of stocking up on picks rather than packaging them to move back up. The price of 16 and 18 to move up just three spots does not make much sense for their rebuilding plan.

Oklahoma City also owns pick 34 near the top of the second round which could be a bit more useful in a trade but the Pacers would have to field other offers first.

The Knicks are set to select with the 19th and 21st picks in this year’s draft thanks to the trade with the Dallas Mavericks a few years back. If they think they are a lottery-level player away from a deep playoff run after last season’s surprise run, they could certainly try moving up.

For Indiana, sliding back from 13 to 19 while also getting the 21st pick is enticing, especially if their preferred targets are gone. This would allow them to swing away at two other players and work them both into the rotation.

Players to watch for in this range would include Ziaire Williams, Jalen Johnson, Jaden Springer, and Chris Duarte. Drafting wings with upside would be the smartest move possible but trading down to do it is counterintuitive.

Another option would be to move back to picks 23 and 24 with the Houston Rockets. Houston already owns the second overall pick and could use a couple of high-upside prospects to kickstart their rebuild. Trading up to 13 for a player they like while giving the Pacers their shot at late-first round picks, where they usually select anyway, may be on the table.

Cam Thomas, Sharife Cooper, Tre Mann, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jared Butler are names to monitor at this stage. There are still a few weeks before the NBA Draft and the Pacers have a lot of work to do. They have started private workouts with a handful of prospects that ranger all over the draft. What should they do when they are on the clock?