The Indiana Pacers have been linked to multiple teams as buyers ahead of next month’s trade deadline. One player that has shown up multiple times is OG Anunoby, who has connections to the Hoosier state through his collegiate career.
It makes sense that OG would be connected to the Pacers. The biggest position of need for the Pacers is at the power forward position, a position that OG Anunoby is one of the most promising young players at across the entire NBA. However, as Zach Lowe recently alluded to on his Lowe Post podcast, the entire league would want OG Anunoby.
Recent reports have indicated that the Raptors are looking for a Donovan Mitchell-type haul for OG Anunoby, which will make trades with the Raptors potentially more difficult. Even more recently, Toronto Star Raptors Insider Doug Smith reported that:
"“[A trade for OG Anunoby] would take at least two promising players on team-friendly deals and a pick”"
So the question becomes, is this too high a price for the Indiana Pacers?
If we begin to think about what types of players the Pacers could include, Chris Duarte comes to mind. Other players that might fit the “promising players” on “team friendly contracts” category would be Andrew Nembhard, Isaiah Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and Tyrese Haliburton.
Right away, Pacers fans can consider both Haliburton and Mathurin off the table for trades.
And Nembhard has played to the point that he might be off the table as well. That leaves Jackson, Duarte, and Nesmith on the table. Jalen Smith might also be considered a promising player on a team friendly contract, but that could be debated amongst NBA circles.
So are two of any of those players and one of the lower-end first round picks worth going after Anunoby? We suggest that this likely would be the best option for the Pacers.
You could potentially switch out Isaiah Jackson for Aaron Nesmith and the trade still works. But the question is would this type of trade be worth it? It essentially is giving up the entire 2021 draft class for OG Anunoby. However, given the Pacers have excessive shooting guards and can likely open up some time for Goga/Myles/Jalen at the five spot, this might be the best trade the Pacers could make.
Ultimately, this question would depend on if Myles is coming back.
If Myles Turner decides to stay, and OG is acquired, the starting five becomes Haliburton, Hield, Nembhard, Anunoby, and Turner. Off of the bench comes Mathurin and Nesmith. That’s a pretty dynamic group that will be able to outrun and outscore many teams in the NBA. It’s a group that could potentially grow into a championship contending team.
If Myles is leaving, this type of win-now move would make absolutely no sense. At that point, the Pacers should become sellers and try to build even further through the upcoming draft. As such, much of the next 3-5 years depends on the moment at the Myles Turner extension talks.
If we see Turner trade rumors starting to heat up and talks starting to leak soon, we will know that this type of trade for the Pacers would make less sense and we should hope for draft capital coming back in trades.
The Pacers have a lot going for them, but the decisions they make in the next month seem like that have an abnormal amount of pressure on the direction of the franchise for years to come.