T.J. McConnell has been a cornerstone of the Indiana Pacers franchise ever since he came over from a Philadelphia 76ers team that was intentionally trying to lose.
Over the past nearly 10 years, he has been a player who has defined everything Indiana wants to be about: tenacious defense, oddly aggressive scoring, and a pit bull mentality that always gave the team a fighting chance against greater opponents.
Still, the devastating truth is that the diminutive guard is now 34 years old and, as such, nearing the end of his NBA career. Without an in-house replacement, Indiana isn't prepared to lose the team's heart.
However, their cross-conference rival, the New York Knicks, have a potential option.
Miles McBride is another smaller point guard with the same pit bull mentality as McConnell. He is also seeking an extension that may take him out of New York's price range.
The Knicks have many such problems in terms of financial liquidity they need to keep the core of their team that just won an NBA title.
While McBride will surely play out the remainder of his contract with the Knicks, New York's unwillingness to give him a larger deal after he developed into a steal from a second-round pick could spell the end of Deuce's tenure there.
It's easy to say that the Pacers should swing a deal for the guard they need, but trades across rivalries rarely, if ever, happen. For Indiana and New York to get past that, the Pacers would likely have to give up a deal that would be far richer than they would like.
Still, if the Los Angeles Lakers can send Ivica Zubac to the crosstown rival LA Clippers for a deal centered around Mike Muscala of all people, then surely the Pacers can find a way to get McBride from the Knicks without giving up too much value.
Rivalry deals are as weird as they are rare
That aforementioned Zubac steal feels like the last time we saw a trade across rivalries. And truly, we should be thankful for that fact.
Just think about it. How weird would it be for the Lakers and Boston Celtics to make a deal? For the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers to do so during their four straight Finals matchups?
Imagine for a second if the Spurs and the Thunder made a deal at this year's trade deadline. What would it look like? Would it ever happen? And why – truly why – would either team ever be willing to make their opposition better?
That is the main issue with cross-rivalry trades: the two teams not wanting to cede any value to a team they may see later in the playoffs. Now that isn't to say that cross-conference trades don't happen, but there's something different and special about rivalry deals that make it so hard to envision.
The Pacers likely won't be able to find a trade partner in the Knicks, who they have routinely faced down and beaten in the playoffs, or the Celtics, who have had similar problems against Indiana.
No. If the Pacers want to solve their myriad roster construction problems, they will have to find out-of-division partners whom they will not face in the playoffs.
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