With the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline just a couple of days away, the Indiana Pacers are shaping up to be a defining key player on the trade market. With a lost season behind them, the deadline could eventually what pushes them to rebuild after decades of resisting it.
In fact, the Blue and Gold drew first blood before the deadline, dropping a massive trade that sent Caris LeVert to the Cleveland Cavaliers for cap relief and most importantly, a valuable first-round pick in the upcoming draft, which looks poised to upstage the previous one already marked by high-ceiling prospects and across-the-board depth at all positions.
Owner Herb Simon has repeatedly echoed his disdain for bottoming out, but given the booming returns that the Pacers can accrue for their current assets, it is easy to envision the franchise being hot sellers for teams vying for the title, especially with the league being so wide-open this season.
With a disappointing season behind them, the Indiana Pacers are in a position to maximize their tradeable assets and start anew before the trade deadline
Teams are undoubtedly willing to break the bank this season with the title up for grabs. Indiana, currently well outside the postseason race, should very well be a popular trading partner for playoff teams in the following days.
Myles Turner, who is widely expected to be traded away from the Circle City, following the motifs of the LeVert trade, should be worth at least a first-round pick as well. Ditto for Domantas Sabonis, who is eyed by teams in need of a reboot like the Wizards and the Kings, and should easily fetch the Pacers a young stud or two and a handsome draft capital in return.
Meanwhile, valuable role players such as 3-and-D adepts Justin Holiday and Torrey Craig are good enough to cost a couple of second-rounders, especially in the case of the former. After all, both have in-demand skillsets that teams, especially contenders, could use to boost their roster ahead of the playoffs.
Even injured guard Ricky Rubio, who was just acquired by the Pacers in the LeVert trade, could be traded as a salary filler for teams willing to dump salaries while conceding picks, as pointed out by Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.
Whoever ends up donning a different colorway, one thing is for sure: the Indiana Pacers have the opportunity to extract maximum value out of their players which should pay off later down the road.
Pulling an Oklahoma City is pushing it to the extreme, but it is a good sign for the franchise that the front office is starting to heed the calls of conventional roster-building, recognizing the need for an overdue reboot they should have commenced a season ago.