4 Way-too-early NBA trade deadline predictions for the Pacers

1. The Indiana Pacers ultimately trade one of Buddy Hield and Myles Turner

Pardon the redundancy, but facts need to be stated.

Both Buddy Hield and Myles Turner have been tremendous winning pieces for the Indiana Pacers in their encouraging start to the season. While that is the definite truth, the other reality shying away from the limelight is the fact that their value as trade commodities is near peak level. Hield and Turner have varying contract situations, but both are pretty in demand around the league for their level of production and modern skill sets.

If anything, one situation where the Pacers could easily pull the trigger is when anyone offers draft capital in return. The odds of that anyone being a team other than the Lakers remain to be seen, but it is a major point that has been well-documented for months already.

Banking on the front office to pass up on the chance of a first-round pick in a ridiculously talented draft class next year actually has a good shot of actualizing, precedents considered. But if the parties involved continue to be stuck in limbo on the grounds of guesswork as to the future (with Turner) or on the grounds of the team hesitating about its direction (with Hield), betting on the Pacers to do the deciding and make the difficult but correct choice could be wise for once.