The Indiana Pacers are widely expected to be angling to pursue restricted free agent Deandre Ayton following the official completion of the Malcolm Brogdon trade, but it seems like the front office is once again on the transaction panel with a recurring customer—well, almost.
Despite a jettisoned trade proposal earlier by the Los Angeles Lakers as they seek to unload disgruntled star Russell Westbrook, the team remains aggressive on the trade front, recently being linked to Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving in anticipation of a possible fire sale in view of Kevin Durant’s trade request.
The Lakers, however, seem to be venturing further, as they reportedly engaged the Pacers again in trade talks, this time in a potential multi-player deal.
Latest trade talks between the Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly went nowhere
Los Angeles clearly has grandiose plans this offseason after an embarrassing finish last season, but the Indiana Pacers seem unlikely to cave to their unappealing offers. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin had this to say:
"The Lakers have also talked with the Indiana Pacers about a multi-player deal. I’m told that those talks basically went nowhere. The Pacers didn’t believe that the Lakers gave good enough of an offer to continue having that conversation."
While no specifics were given, it is easy to prognosticate that the Lakers have their eyes set on Pacers veterans Buddy Hield and Myles Turner, which have long been linked to them dating back to last season. This seems to be an ambitious backup plan for Los Angeles if their Irving pursuit goes awry, which could easily happen given that the framework of an Irving trade is an intricate one.
After all, the Lakers’ main trade engine is Westbrook’s albatross contract, which easily has a negative value around the league. Meanwhile, their first-round treasury is depleted, and LA will have to be willing to exacerbate their already-mortgaged future to incentivize Brooklyn or another cap-rich facilitator like San Antonio (or Indiana), to take on the former MVP.
However, as things currently stand, taking on Westbrook makes little sense for the Indiana Pacers. If the front office positions itself as a seller for Hield and/or Turner, they could be much better off dealing with other teams that can send out more pleasant offers, as the market for those two players are reckoned to be a robust one.