In the lead-up to the 2022 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers are seemingly angling to shore up their youth movement, with the team considered to be active on the trade market. Malcolm Brogdon, who has been a common name in the rumor mill in recent weeks, is reported to be eyed by two clubs in particular.
The New York Knicks and Washington Wizards, both lottery teams, are eyeing the veteran point guard in a trade. While they are marginal playoff threats as things currently stand next season, their win-now stance is firm and resolute even after disappointing campaigns of their own.
The Indiana Pacers are becoming increasingly likely to move Malcolm Brogdon
While fans have been clamoring for a rebuild, the Wizards are unlikely to pursue a clean slate this offseason, especially with the team likely to offer franchise star Bradley Beal a gargantuan contract extension this summer. Hence, they are far from incentivized to make a reboot, making Malcolm Brogdon a viable target for them.
Washington has an uninspiring point guard rotation, especially after dealing away Spencer Dinwiddie in last season’s trade deadline. Despite Brogdon’s semi-dangling fit at the position, he is undeniably better than any of their options, sating back to when John Wall left.
In return, the Wizards have the No. 10 pick to put on the table, along with some players who may present good fits with the Indiana Pacers, such as the likes of Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, though the latter is more unlikely to be dealt.
On the other hand, the Knicks are in a similar position as the Wizards. After overachieving in 2020-21, they stumbled badly last season, missing the postseason outright and underperforming in the departments that made them successful in the prior campaign. Still, with Julius Randle and the promising RJ Barrett on the roster, they are a lock to hunt for a playoff spot in 2022-23.
Outside from Immanuel Quickley, New York only has an aging Kemba Walker and injury-prone Derrick Rose to man the point guard spot. Cudgeling Alec Burks into the nominal playmaker role, while far from the worst-case scenario, is nothing but an unsustainable compromise. All these make Brogdon yet another target that fills an urgent need for the playoff-desperate Knickerbockers.
Fortunately for the Pacers, the Knicks also have a lottery pick (No. 11) to offer for playmaker, though it will be a tad trickier to match salaries. Still, they have the likes of Cam Reddish, Obi Toppin, and Mitchell Robinson (in a sign-and-trade) to try and outdo other bidders.
Regardless of how the following days pan out, the Indiana Pacers can rest easy knowing that they have a lot of flexibility in how they want to approach the offseason.