Indiana Pacers: 4 players that may be traded by the deadline
By Luke Parrish
Goga Bitadze should be next to leave the Indiana Pacers
Heading into his third season with the Pacers, Goga Bitadze was supposed to solidify himself as the team’s backup center. He was solid in his role last season as the floor-stretching big man who protected the rim with the other centers on the bench. However, this summer has not gone in his favor.
Indiana traded Aaron Holiday to move back into the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft to secure Isaiah Jackson, a forward/center out of Kentucky. While drafting another big was shocking, Jackson can be much more than just a backup center who protects the rim. He does that very well, don’t get me wrong, but he is also a much better offensive prospect than Goga.
Jackson will challenge Bitadze for those bench minutes but they could also share the floor. Jackson could very easily play the four with Goga under the rim but the spacing may be a bit trickier on offense.
To make things worse for Goga, he missed the Summer League due to personal reasons. That was a chance for him to shine and prove that he is still the best option behind Turner and Sabonis but that opportunity went to Jackson instead.
Teams around the league should be thrilled about Goga’s availability this season as a developmental center off the bench or even in the starting five. He should have a decent market at the trade deadline.