Grade the Trade: Pacers land $179 million forward in 4-player mock deal

Grade the Trade: Pacers land Michael Porter Jr. from Nuggets in 4-player mock deal: Pacers grade

On the flip side, this could actually be an intriguing idea for the Indiana Pacers to consider should the Denver Nuggets put the trade on the table.

Michael Porter Jr. had a phenomenal regular season for Denver. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 48.7% from the floor and 41.4% from behind the three-point.

For the majority of this offseason, the Pacers have supposedly been looking for a defensive-minded wing to add to their team. Names like OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam have been named as potential ideas.

Porter Jr. isn’t exactly a defense-first guy, but he would be an intriguing fit next to Tyrese Haliburton, especially with his elite shooting ability.

Obviously, the Pacers already have a guy like that in Buddy Hield, who would be thrown into this deal, but Porter Jr. is only 25 years old. Hiels is already 30.

At 6-foot-10, Porter Jr. would add some serious height to a Pacers lineup that lacks just that at the forward position. They rolled out Hield and Aaron Nesmith at the three and four at times this past season.

Add in the fact that Indiana would get three seconds in the deal, with Obi Toppin as the only real future piece they would be giving up, and this could be an interesting move for a young and hungry Indiana squad.

Grade: A-

Potential starting lineups:

Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Benedict Mathurin, Michael Porter Jr., Myles Turner