4 team needs that the Indiana Pacers have to address on trade deadline

Stricken by COVID-19 and injuries amid a poor start, the Indiana Pacers continue their freefall in the standings, firmly positioned at 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a 14-25 record through Friday.

While the implementation of the play-in tournament gives the Pacers more leeway to continue hunting for wins, it’s clear that trying to sneak their way into the postseason is all but a futile attempt for this core, especially as losses mount on the nightly against deeper and better competition.

Not all hope is lost though, as Indiana will have a chance to reinvent the wheel on the fly as the 2022 NBA trade deadline is nearly a month away.

As the franchise enters a crucial period, here are four team needs that the Indiana Pacers have to address on the trade deadline.

1. The Indiana Pacers need to embrace small-ball; axe one of their centers

Trust me—I hate sounding like a broken record clamoring about how the Pacers should resolve their longstanding big man dilemma. But given the front office’s persistence on retaining perhaps the team’s biggest anchor that has been plunging them into the middle ground, once again, it’s time for Indiana to shake up its personnel—and embracing a small-ball approach is the easiest way to do it.

Both Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are enough of a catalyst by themselves—from entirely different angles—to fully function as a lone center on a permanent basis. Next to more agile and rangy tweeners, the added space and mobility could help unlock their games and more importantly, give the Pacers a semblance of identity.

Aside from Indiana’s in-house solutions like TJ Warren (when he returns), Oshae Brissett, and Torrey Craig, the Pacers should be in store for an even deeper crest of wings and forwards in the trade market who could provide more modern and seamless fits next to either center, giving the rebuild-allergic franchise a relatively new deck to work with.