Should the Indiana Pacers do a trade like this?
As expected in a trade framework like this one, the best and perhaps most accessible way for the Indiana Pacers to double down on their future by acquiring handsome draft capital is by letting of their veterans, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
It has already been reported multiple times before that Indiana’s brass have set a price tag of two, unprotected first-rounders from the Lakers. The latest intel suggests that LA’s front office is not too keen on that idea, but of course, public and even in-house pressure could still prevail as they seek to extract the most out of the twilight of LeBron James’ career.
The other details of this trade surrounding the other teams involved make a ton of sense on paper for the parties involved, but harping on the Pacers’ side, there is simply not a lot to dislike about a deal like this. With Indiana showing a lot more vulnerability recently as they try to cement their place in the playoff race, this could be a big chance for the team to pivot to youth movement without needing to bottom out, as the Lakers’ future picks are projected to be of lofty value for the most part.
Whether or not a deal resembling Bleacher Report’s proposed one ever becomes available on the table is a question for the future world, but if it ever does, the Indiana Pacers have to weigh their priorities once again and play everything by ear. If their flight risk players remain noncommittal and the team’s playoff spot is iffy, then pulling the trigger on a trade like this one makes a helluva sense.