The Indiana Pacers’ rejected trade offer for OG Anunoby revealed

The Indiana Pacers made some moves before the trade deadline yesterday, welcoming Jordan Nwora and George Hill to the roster while acquiring some draft compensation. However, some definitely hoped for far more than that, as the team eventually fell short in their reported pursuit of in-demand trade candidate OG Anunoby.

The Pacers’ hunt for Anunoby was relatively quiet heading into the 3 PM ET deadline, but pundits have remained adamant on the franchise being one of the bolder suitors for the Raptors forward. Of course, the bidding war for his services was stiff, with Golden State, Memphis, and New Orleans having expressed their interest on a trade on varying degrees.

Now, with Anunoby still in Toronto for the foreseeable future, some fans of the Blue and Gold are understandably disappointed at the missed opportunity, but they would be ecstatic to learn that Indiana made a bona fide attempt to acquire him from the Raptors at the least.

The Indiana Pacers failed to acquire OG Anunoby from Toronto, but reports suggest an aggressive offer from the franchise

ESPN’s Zach Lowe bared that the Indiana Pacers made a bold offer to Toronto’s brass for OG Anunoby.

"Indiana, I heard offered three first round picks and the Rockets’ second round pick, which I believe they own in this upcoming draft. Which is almost like another first round pick."

Under normal circumstances, the Raptors would have accepted this offer. However, the Pacers were not the only one who wagered aggressively. Lowe also mentioned that the Grizzlies had a similar offer centered on three first-round picks.

Suitors hit a wall, however, when the Raptors made it clear that they would also prefer to acquire a valuable young player in addition to handsome draft compensation in return for Anunoby. Memphis, according to Low, stalled at the idea. It’s unknown if the Pacers similarly dithered, but realistically speaking, they do not have the kind of dispensable young talent that would catapult them above other suitors and land Anunoby.

For now, the Indiana Pacers can focus on regaining their ground in the playoff race, as they are just  5.5 games away from a guaranteed postseason spot. As counterintuitive it may sound, they should have another shot at prying OG Anunoby away from the Raptors in the offseason if their interest holds up.