With an 18-18 record, the Indiana Pacers are once again a .500 team. They have experienced their fair share of ups and downs this season, but there is no doubt that they are finally starting to put things together and find their rhythm. Still, considering that they were just four wins away from an NBA Finals appearance last year, the Pacers are still far away from where they want to be. Naturally, as the trade deadline approaches, the Pacers find themselves linked to some specific candidates.
Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), named the Pacers as "a team to watch" in the Cam Johnson sweepstakes. The Brooklyn Nets forward has been linked to teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Sacramento Kings. Now, it seems that Indiana can add their names to the mix as well.
"League sources say that Indiana is a team to watch in the trade pursuit of Brooklyn's Cam Johnson," Stein wrote.
Johnson is a fantastic offensive player who provides solid defense. On paper, he is a good fit for this Pacers team. However, given how good the Pacers have played recently, despite not being at full health, this is a trade they may be better off not pursuing.
Pacers should not trade for Cam Johnson despite their reported interest
The Nets forward is having a career year with the team this season. Through 32 games, he is averaging a career-high 19.5 points while shooting 49.6% from the field and 43.6% from the three-point line. Furthermore, he is averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
Brooklyn has already moved on from Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith. In all likelihood, they will also trade Johnson at some point before February's trade deadline. The Pacers would make sense for Johnson as he is a versatile forward with a fantastic jumpshot. However, the Pacers may also just be better off staying away from the Johnson sweepstakes.
The Pacers are rolling right now, having won eight of their last 11 games, including their first two to begin 2025. What makes this run more impressive for Indiana is that they are doing all this without Aaron Nesmith, who has been sidelined since early November with no concrete timetable for his return.
On the year, a lineup of Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner has a 17.6 net rating when they share the court together. Of all the lineups in the league with more than 100 possessions together, they rank as the sixth-best team. A trade may have made sense a month ago, but entering the new year, the Pacers may be better off rocking with the team that made a conference finals appearance last year.
For Indiana to acquire Johnson and his remaining three-year, $70 million salary, they would likely have to move on from two of Nesmith, Obi Toppin, and Bennedict Mathurin. In doing a trade like this, the Pacers would either lose their best wing defender who is on a tremendous contract, a legitimate bench asset in Toppin, and/or Mathurin, who, while inconsistent at times, has proven he can be a franchise cornerstone. Simply put, losing two of these guys is not worth it for the 28-year-old.
It would not be a terrible decision for the Pacers to acquire another bench piece to solidify their roster, like what they did when they acquired Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat. However, anything bigger than they may be too big of a risk for the Pacers to take.