The NBA draft lottery didn’t shake out the way that the Pacers would have wanted it to, but it wasn’t all bad either (there was definitely a silver lining). The Pacers ended up with the number seven overall pick, but probably missing out on the blue-chip talent at the top of the draft.
The consensus seems to be that there are three to five top-tier talents in the draft this year, the biggest of which would be Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, and Brandon Miller. The Thompson brothers are also considered to be top-end talent. There are probably multiple players in the draft that would be a top overall draft pick many other years.
Because of this, there may be quite a few teams that are interested in making a run at a top pick in the upcoming draft, including a rebuilding team like the Indiana Pacers. This is because it was reported that the Portland Trailblazers will be shopping the number three overall pick in order to put together one last contending team for Damian Lillard.
The general manager of the Portland Trailblazers anticipates receiving numerous calls for the third pick
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 17, 2023
“We’re a team that’s trying to win and trying to maximize Damian’s timeline.”
(Via Yahoo Sports) pic.twitter.com/Ebp1sDnMMd
As such, the Pacers could be primed to capitalize on such an offer to trade up for one of the blue-chip level talents in this years draft, solidifying their young core.
It’s going to take a couple of pieces to trade into the top three of the draft.
The Pacers would have to give up quite a bit to make it happen, but it is entirely possible (I believe) that both teams could end up with what they want. Here’s how something could work.
It would be a steep price to pay for the Pacers, so many fans will feel that it may not be worth it. Losing Mathurin would be a huge issue, but if the Pacers want the number 3 pick, it would come at a high cost.
To replace Mathurin, the Pacers would get back Anfernee Simons, so both teams would end up with a young rising talent. The Blazers would get a significant upgrade at center and would still get to pick high in the lottery.
The Pacers would downgrade at center pretty sharply, but would have players like Isaiah Jackson that may be willing to fill the void and finally get some minutes on the floor.
It’s probably unlikely that the Trailblazers could do much better as they are pretty cap constrained.
The problem the Trailblazers are having is that they are extremely cap constrained. To bring in another talent they are almost for sure going to have to trade Anfernee Simons along with the number three pick.
The Pacers would have to feel that moving from number seven to number three was worth the loss of Myles Turner, because Simons and Mathurin are probably just about an even swap. The problem the Pacers are going to have in trade scenarios with Portland, is that the salaries between the two teams are just extremely hard to match given the restrictions that Portland currently has in regards to the cap.
Could it happen? Sure. Could it happen and benefit both teams? I believe so. But doing so would be like threading the eye of a needle, and I’m doubtful that the two sides would find the best outcome for both teams while doing so.
We’d give this trade a B-.
What are your thoughts? Let us know at @8pts9secs