Ranking Indiana Pacers’ top 12 trade assets heading into the offseason

8. Chris Duarte

Chris Duarte’s sophomore season with the Indiana Pacers was defined by injuries. It was an unwanted step back from Duarte and now you can’t help but wonder where that leaves him in the grand scheme of the team’s rebuild. Especially with how stacked the team is with young wings on the roster. After an encouraging freshman season, Duarte averaged just eight points and three rebounds on 37 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent shooting from 3-point range this year.

Heading into the offseason, there’s a non-zero chance that the Pacers end up shopping Duarte or including him in a deal for a player that will help the team take a step forward next season. Even though he had a difficult sophomore season, the talent is still there. And that’s what makes him an appealing trade asset.

Maybe the Pacers are still willing to put in the work and invest in developing Duarte. I’m not saying they aren’t. But if they are going to try to upgrade the roster via trade, Duarte is almost an automatic inclusion as a promising young player.

The step back he took this past season definitely hurt his trade value, but it also didn’t tank it completely.