It’s growing closer to that time of year again. Trade season is creeping closer and closer as the NBA season is about to enter December. Rumors have already begun to surface in the media and on the internet because who doesn’t love some juicy trade rumors.
December 15th is the date that most players who were free agents this past offseason become available to trade. A select group of players won’t be available until January 15th. With being two and a half weeks away from the first crop of players becoming available I’ve come up with some trades that could potentially help the Indiana Pacers.
With trade season swiftly approaching, here are three trades that could help out the Indiana Pacers.
Pacers receive: Harrison Barnes
Kings receive: TJ Warren, Jeremy Lamb, and a lottery-protected 2022 1st round pick
This trade would be one the Indiana Pacers could look into if they’d rather look for someone to contribute right away and not have to wait on TJ Warren to work himself back into shape.
Harrison Barnes has been having quite the year with the Kings so far as he averages 19 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while having a True Shooting percentage of 63 percent. This trade would give the Pacers a wing that is ready to play right away and is having one of the best years of his career.
The package of Warren, Lamb, and a protected first may seem like it’s a little much but Warren’s value is extremely low as he hasn’t played for nearly a season and a half. The lottery-protected pick sweetens the deal as the Kings may look to blow up their roster as it seems they are headed for another season without making the playoffs.
Pacers receive: Kyle Anderson
Grizzlies receive: Jeremy Lamb, 2022 2nd round pick via Miami, 2023 2nd round pick
On paper, this may seem like a puzzling trade, but I promise you this one makes sense. The Indiana Pacers need playmaking and rebounding from their wing position and Kyle Anderson is the perfect fit for that. Slow-mo’s stats may not pop off the page at you (8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists per game), but Anderson is a solid bench piece for the Grizzlies.
The argument for this trade would be the Pacers would lose some perimeter shooting with the departure of Jeremy Lamb (42.2% 3pt FG), but Anderson (36.2% 3pt FG) makes up for that with his playmaking, rebounding, and ability to actually play some defense. Could the Pacers pair Lamb with two 2nd round picks to lure away Anderson from the Grizzlies? I think it’s a possibility.
Pacers receive: Brandon Ingram
Pelicans receive: Caris LeVert, TJ Warren, 2022 1st round pick Lottery protected
This is the big juicy trade I came up with for this article. Initially, my trade idea was just TJ Warren and Caris LeVert for Brandon Ingram, but I thought to myself I’m not sure if this is enough to get this deal done. I decided to add in the 2022 1st lottery-protected to give the trade a little more juice, but still, cover the Pacers’ butts if they happen to miss the playoffs.
Ingram is having a solid year for the very terrible Pelicans. He is averaging 21.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while posting a True Shooting percentage of 51.6 percent. By adding Brandon Ingram to the roster, the Pacers would get a true three-level scorer at the wing which is something they haven’t had since Paul George. The downside to adding Ingram is that the defense may take a hit as he isn’t the best defender.
At first, I wanted this trade to be just Warren and LeVert for Ingram, but the more I thought to myself I couldn’t see the Pelicans making this trade. Maybe with the added first-round pick David Griffin and Co. take a meeting on this. Then again they have also made moves that were way more head-scratching than this.