It is no secret that the Indiana Pacers might want to land a new starting center ahead of February's trade deadline. And, according to Zach Lowe of The Ringer, there is a chance that it happens.
"If you're going all in again next year, you need a better center by fathoms than what you have on the roster currently.. I don't think [the Pacers] are going to be swimming in the big salary deep end... Even though it's more likely to happen in the summer, I think they're going to sniff around at the centers that are available now and under contract for next year to see if they can find somebody who fits, because they know they can't go into next year with this center rotation and Haliburton back," Lowe said on "The Zach Lowe Show."
What should the Pacers do at center?
After Myles Turner joined the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency, there were a lot of questions about what the Pacers were going to do to replace him. This season, they opted to run a center-by-committee. And while it's had its moments (particularly Jay Huff's emergence in November heading into December), it's becoming increasingly clear that it's not good enough.
If the Pacers want to re-enter the title picture as soon as next season, they're going to need a dependable starting center. And as it stands, it doesn't look like they have that on the roster.
That's exactly where the trade market comes into play. If the Pacers want to find an upgrade at center (specifically this season, while Bennedict Mathurin is still under contract), they're going to need to make a trade. And they're going to need to do it soon.
So far, they have been linked to three big men: Walker Kessler, Daniel Gafford, and Ivica Zubac. It's unclear exactly how attainable any of these three are for Indiana, but it's a good starting point.
The Pacers realistically have two options when trading for a center. Either they can find another stretch big who can protect the rim (basically find a true replacement for Turner and his skillset), or they can go in the complete opposite direction and address some of their biggest needs, particularly rebounding and defense in the paint.
At this point, Indiana can't be too picky. Its center situation looks incredibly bleak, and given that the center trade market isn't exactly a busy one, it just needs to take what it can get.
As Lowe said, any trade for a center will likely come in the offseason for the Pacers, and that might be the right call. They're not going to be competitive for the rest of this season, and they should at least give themselves a real opportunity to evaluate as many options as possible and see who will be available in the summer.
This is going to be their best bet, but if they make it happen before Feb. 5, then that works just as well too.