The 2021 NBA Draft is just a few weeks away, and with the upcoming pool of rookies slated to be among the deepest and most talented ones in recent memory, all teams will have the opportunity to add pieces on their roster to accelerate their rebuild, or in the case of the Indiana Pacers, bolster the squad to elevate their competitive ceiling.
Under normal circumstances, the 13th pick, which Indiana currently owns, is not so much of an attractive asset to the point of untouchability, but the extensive crop of talented rookies on deck for the upcoming draft makes it a lot more valuable. Thus, it should be big enough to move the needle for teams on the transaction pool.
The Indiana Pacers should retain the 13th overall pick for now
While keeping the 13th pick is the popular choice among fans, the win-now Pacers may ultimately opt to dangle their selection to acquire a proven commodity in return, more so with coach Rick Carlisle favoring veterans for the most part. However, there are layers as to why Indy will be better off playing the waiting game instead of settling for risky trades on draft day
The Indiana Pacers are no strangers to draft day deals, but moving away their selection has proven to bite them back later on. Thus, here are three players that the Blue and Gold should avoid at all costs in a trade involving the 13th overall pick on NBA Draft day.
The Indiana Pacers should stay clear from the oft-injured and aging Eric Gordon
Experienced scorers who can shoot from virtually any spot on the floor and defend the perimeter well should be sought-after pieces who can instantly improve the roster in theory. While veteran Eric Gordon fits those descriptions to a tee, his inability to stay on the court, among many others, should be enough on its own to avoid targeting him in a trade for the 13th overall pick.
The Rockets guard, in practice, has been one of the league’s most dangerous bench scorers for quite some time now, even winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2017. However, he has struggled to stay on the court in recent seasons, suiting up in only 131 out of 226 possible games in the previous three campaigns. Even when he played, he was inefficient shooting the ball, canning less than 32 percent of his triples in the past two seasons.
As a result, there’s little sense in moving the 13th pick for Gordon, even if it means that the Pacers can acquire their two first-round picks in the draft. His assortment of injuries, on-court inconsistencies and also, his hampering salary are far from ideal risks to take, even if he can immediately contribute to Indiana, a team desperate for playoff success.
Terrence Ross won’t bring much difference to the Indiana Pacers
Another veteran scorer whom the Indiana Pacers should avoid dealing the 13th pick for is Orlando Magic wing Terrence Ross. Despite his explosive scoring off the bench as a designated first option on the second unit, adding him to the roster won’t bring much difference than what the Blue and Gold already has in their current personnel.
While Ross has been, in fact, one of the thorns on Indy’s side for a long time, seemingly always playing like an All-Star against the Pacers, his skillset is predicated on a boatload of minutes and shot attempts, especially since he’s far from being an efficient machine, shooting just 41.9 percent on the floor for his career.
Ross has been thriving as a bench gunner, even garnering 6MOY noise in the first half of the season, but given Indiana’s more viable options, such as re-signing Doug McDermott, who is among the most efficient scorers in the league and giving more minutes to Oshae Brissett, pinpointing him as a target in return for the 13th pick is an adverse proposition, even if Orlando gives another asset to sweeten the pot.
The Indiana Pacers have cheaper 3-and-D alternatives than Kelly Oubre Jr.
At his best, Kelly Oubre Jr. is one of the league’s most dynamic 3-and-D wings, able to shoot the three-ball with relative efficiency on good volume while being disruptive on defense with his length and athleticism. Despite that, the Indiana Pacers don’t exactly have a dearth of two-way wings and another one may just clog the roster, both in minutes and salary.
A sign-and-trade involving the Warriors swingman and the Pacers’ 13th pick has to come as a part of the bigger package, but the draft selection itself is already good enough to take center stage on a deal. However, Indiana will need to include a member of the starting five in order to match salaries (with Oubre projected to be in the 16-20 million range), composing a certain overpay.
Hence, the Pacers would be more logical turning down a Warriors sign-and-trade offer, which may force Indy to give up, say, Myles Turner alongside the 13th pick. With TJ Warren, Justin Holiday and Brissett already in the fold, rolling with a gamble in Oubre Jr., who’s bound to be expensive, may be an impatient maneuver on the part of Indiana.