Why the recent Lakers trade spill is sure to make Pacers fans proud
The Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers have been tied to each other for what feels like an eternity—and it may indeed be the case, the temporal shackles of a calendar swish being the only thing that injects some obviating sense.
Oh, and before you confront me on a passive-aggressive virtual kerfuffle, rest assured that I’m sick of it too.
However, before we continue lashing out our bilateral frustrations on such repetitive NBA nursery rhyme, sans the actual rhyme, here’s why the latest spill detailing the Lakers’ continuous roster dilemma heading to the 2022-23 season is sure to make Pacers fans proud.
Latest Lakers trade spill is sure to make Indiana Pacers fans proud
The Athletic’s Shams Charania recently dropped an interesting piece attesting to how close the Los Angeles Lakers actually were in striking a deal with the Indiana Pacers before the training camp. According to the same source, the Lakers brass was incredibly near towards a done deal, being amenable to the Pacers’ demand of two, unprotected first-round picks for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
Ultimately having decided to bide some time for a dry run of a Darvin Ham-led LA squad, the Lakers held off on a deal, opting to wait and see if they could mortgage what is essentially their future for an even bigger name before the trade deadline.
For the Pacers, all of these could mean a waiting game that spans beyond the calendar year. However, Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan, and co. have been inarguably playing it smart and this should thrill fans of the Blue and Gold.
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Generally, there is ample pressure towards small markets to yield to some degree to their big-market counterparts in trade panels. That has been the case for the most part in the league in all its history. However, Indiana’s circle has been nothing of the sorts, as their adamant, non-negotiable condition of two, unprotected first-rounders to drop the gavel on the deal has been pretty remarkable.
It is a grand acknowledgment of the indubitable fact that the Pacers have leverage in any trade scenario with LA involving the much-maligned Russell Westbrook. Second, it is a continuous testament to Indy’s trading prowess, a culmination of successful trades over the years that yielded the team some players who flourished to become unlikely All-Stars, and set the team up for a better future just recently by acquiring a potential franchise-changer.
Going back, even if the red thread of fate between the Pacers and the Lakers snaps, the Circle City and its fans should have no regrets with the team having managed to break away from the tremendous temptation, and historically speaking, the small-market norm of settling for less.
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