While the Indiana Pacers have a talented roster, as coach Rick Carlisle puts it, they don’t have the kind of talent to win by talent alone. As a result, the Blue and Gold has been on a trek in the early going, with a 3-7 win-loss card through the first 10 games of the season while grasping for consistency as they begin to get healthier.
Despite the rollercoaster ride so far, the Pacers arguably can’t expect to simply jump up the Eastern Conference ladder by having their injured key players return. With the East now a lot stronger and deeper than before, Indiana will have to be more aggressive in hunting for talents that can boost their placement in the standings.
The Indiana Pacers could be key players on the trade deadline
Aside from last season’s big midseason trade that saw the Indiana Pacers acquire Caris LeVert after parting ways with Victor Oladipo, the team has rarely made deals in the middle of their campaign, largely opting to settle things in the offseason and maintain fluidity personnel-wise.
However, I’d argue that given the Pacers’ collection of attractive trade bargains, the front office should pounce hard on the market and attempt to strike some changes to help the team wage a more competitive bid this season, instead of simply hoping that injuries subside and bannering, yet again, continuity.
Thus, without further ado, here are four way-too-early 2021 NBA trade deadline predictions for the Indiana Pacers, starting with perhaps the most predictable one.
The Indiana Pacers will sever ties with Brad Wanamaker and/or Jeremy Lamb
Aside from his impressive showing against the Trail Blazers, Brad Wanamaker has been flat-out bad for the Indiana Pacers this season. Him playing a lot more due to Malcolm Brogdon’s string of absences recently has simply been quite painful to watch.
With Brogdon returning soon, the disappointment around Wanamaker should be tempered a bit, but even in third-stringer duty, there are certainly some much better options than him at this point. That is why I can see the Pacers front office sever ties with him before the NBA trade deadline kicks off.
Either that, or Indiana finally consummates its offseason intent, which was to trade veteran scorer Jeremy Lamb, who’s on the final year of his contract. Despite underwhelming so far, he should still be able to net the Pacers a second-rounder at the minimum. However, if the front office goes full throttle, I’d bet my money on these two players receiving the initial elbows.
The Indiana Pacers try to mortgage one of their young guns for a veteran piece
The Indiana Pacers preach process more religiously than most, but given how this season has started for them, they may perceive that the proverbial switch can only be clinched by doubling down on their current direction, which is clearly winning with what they have in the present.
Aside from Chris Duarte, Indiana seems noncommittal on its young guns. That could brew a trade for the Pacers. With so many teams now valuing youth more than ever, the Blue and Gold could swim against the tide and try to acquire a veteran piece by liquidating one of their more unproven commodities.
Goga Bitadze, Kelan Martin, and Oshae Brissett, who has not been able to crack Rick Carlisle’s rotation, could all be viable options for when the Pacers seek to mortgage their future to emphasize winning in the present. None of them are big needle movers, but they should be enough to entice other teams into dangling one of their veterans in a trade.
The Indiana Pacers seriously gauge interest for point guard TJ McConnell
Don’t get me wrong: I love TJ McConnell. He’s been one of the most vocal leaders on and off the court for the Indiana Pacers in recent years. However, fresh from a relatively robust four-year, 35 million extension, his performance so far has not been similarly stout.
McConnell has his well-defined limitations, but he has been of the better players in the league who has adapted to his weaknesses, especially in the perimeter. Last season’s script, however, has been flipped a tad this year, with the pesky floor general yet to reclaim his form in the previous campaign which cemented his standing as one of the most effective bench players in the league.
With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised if the front office seriously tries to test the waters on what they can possibly get for him in a trade. Few teams in the NBA are tailored for his skillset, but his veteran leadership, defense, and playmaking are all valuable add-ons for competitive clubs, especially those that are in title contention.
The Indiana Pacers will not break up the Turner-Sabonis frontcourt just yet
Given how the Turbonis situation is a hot topic for many when discussing midseason trades for the Indiana Pacers, you probably had this one at the back of your heads in the beginning. However, I think that there would be no novel ending for the nth time. The Myles Turner–Domantas Sabonis tandem will live on.
The accrued urge to break up the frontcourt, given how much fuel this conundrum has been brewing in the last two summers, seems strong given the Pacers’ lusterless start to the season, but there’s arguably no compelling narrative to point to this tandem as the impetus for switching things up.
Turner has been quietly having a career-year, looking like Indiana’s top dog with more frequency than before. Given how the coaching staff has given him a more definite role on offense, trading him would be essentially counterproductive, verging on nonsensical. Even if he fails to keep his offense at the same rate moving forward, his defense is too important to dangle away.
Sabonis, meanwhile, has not been as strong last season at this juncture, but he remains as Indiana’s most viable All-Star candidate. Trading him in the middle of the year would almost be out of principle for the Pacers, despite his limitations, but also, there are not a lot of teams who can willingly field a good offer for him to make the front office think twice.
If anything, the Turbonis frontcourt question will still be a prominent shadow lurking, but the offseason will be the one that resolves it.