The NBA Trade Deadline is less than a day away, and although the Indiana Pacers have stood pat up to this point, fans may still want to keep their finger on the pulse. Recently, former Pacers Torrey Craig and Chris Duarte were waived by the Chicago Bulls after sending Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings. Now, another former Pacer is on the move once again.
The Pelicans trade Daniel Theis to the Thunder
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the New Orleans Pelicans have traded Daniel Theis and draft compensation to the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
Theis spent time in Indiana between 2022 and 2023. The German native joined the Pacers as part of the trade that landed them Aaron Nesmith and sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics. In parts of two seasons with the Pacers, Theis played just eight total games. After an uneventful run in Indiana, Theis was bought out by the team and joined the Los Angeles Clippers in late 2023.
This season, the former Pacer appeared in 38 games for the Pelicans and started nine of them. On the year, he is averaging 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Despite initially playing a starting role for the Pelicans, Theis lost his spot to Yves Missi, who is having a solid rookie campaign. Now in Oklahoma City, Theis is unlikely to regain a starting role. However, he is still an important acquisition for them.
In November, star big man Chet Holmgren suffered a devastating hip injury that has kept him sidelined ever since. Last month, reports surfaced that said Holmgren would be re-evaluated in three to five weeks. With him guaranteed to be sidelined for at least a little while longer, it raises the question of whether the Thunder acquired Theis as insurance or if Holmgren will miss more time than the team initially thought. Regardless, Theis is a solid low-risk, high-reward option for the Thunder.
The Pacers already met up with the Thunder once, so they will have just one more opportunity the rest of the way (barring an NBA Finals matchup) to go head-to-head against Theis. Indiana will travel on the road to take on the Thunder on March 29. With this being one of the last games of the regular season, this could prove to be an important game for both teams. And, as far as we know, it could be a preview of what is to come just a few months later.