It sounds like the Pacers are being very active in trade ideas as the teams approach the NBA draft. And this makes sense given how important the current offseason is to the construction of the team.
NBA Senior Reporter, Jake Fischer, of Yahoo sports is reporting that the Pacers and Hawks were close to a blockbuster trade that fell apart in the late hours of Tuesday:
"“The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks were making headway on a deal that would have sent De’Andre Hunter to the Pacers, league sources told Yahoo Sports, but talks ultimately broke apart. Further details of the framework are still unknown, but as the Hawks have consistently looked at deals that could help Atlanta jump from No. 15 into the top 10 of this draft, the Pacers were not willing to swap the No. 7 pick in those discussions for Hunter.”"
It sounds like the Hawks were ultimately unwilling to swap Hunter for anything but the seventh pick in the draft, leaving the Pacers no choice but to exit negotiations. And with the newer trade between the Nuggets and Pacers happening it is looking less likely the two team will return to the trading table.
It’s good to see the Pacers are being aggressive in trade discussions.
The news indicates that the front office continues to want to aggressively improve quickly rather than draw out a longer rebuild. It also communicates that the team really believes they have something special that could be built around in the coming years and want to maximize their opportunity with Tyrese Haliburton.
Expect this not to be the last news of the day as things continue to develop across the NBA.
What do you think about De’Andre Hunter? Would he have been a good add for the team?
Indiana Pacers: What to expect from the team on NBA draft day?
The Indiana Pacers already made some draft news with their pick swapping with the Denver Nuggets, but is that all that is coming for the Pacers?