Indiana Pacers: Buy or sell on latest rumors surrounding the team

The Indiana Pacers are one of the teams aggressively pursuing Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons

Despite their initial offer for Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons getting jettisoned, the Indiana Pacers reportedly remain as one of the teams who are aggressively pursuing the 24-year-old, a crowded list that includes Cleveland, Minnesota and Toronto.

While Simmons is coming off a disgruntling playoff run which culminated in the top-seeded 76ers bowing down to the fifth-seeded Hawks in the Conference Semifinals, the young All-Star is still among the league’s top-notch players with his unique playmaking, physical gifts and tremendous defensive ability.

Fitting him in will be a complex and tricky proposition and acquiring him in the first place prompts a substantial return or even an overpay, but his upside should be more than worth it. For the Indiana Pacers, however, Simmons doesn’t make a ton of sense next to the team’s core players, the actual roster construction and the franchise’s expenditure limits.

Verdict: Buy on Indiana’s interest in Simmons, sell on them aggressively pursuing him