The Indiana Pacers can make Bennedict Mathurin available for trade this season, but no deal is going to be worth moving him for. Indiana is reportedly interested in acquiring a new starting center, and Mathurin is an easy trade piece. But keeping the Canadian native is likely more valuable to their success, especially in this market.
The Pacers must be picky about any potential Bennedict Mathurin trade
On the surface, it makes sense for Indiana to trade Mathurin this season. He is set to hit restricted free agency, and there are concerns about his long-term role and fit with the team. However, trading him is a risk the Pacers shouldn't take unless the deal is way too good to turn down (which isn't likely anyway).
So far, the Pacers have been linked to a handful of big men. This includes Ivica Zubac, Walker Kessler, Daniel Gafford, Yves Missi, and Onyeka Okongwu, among others.
Zubac and Okongwu are not likely to be traded this season anyway. They are both way too valuable to the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, and the Pacers would have to give up a lot to make these deals happen.
Walker Kessler, Daniel Gafford, and Yves Missi are all solid. But are they worth trading Mathurin for? Probably not, especially if Indiana finds itself in a bidding war for any of them.
The pros to keeping Mathurin far outweigh the cons, and the Pacers are going to realize that sooner than later. At least if they haven't already.
It's fair to talk about the things Mathurin doesn't do well. Sure, he is very inconsistent. He doesn't provide much value as a passer or defender. And it's still unclear if he is going to be a long-term starter or bench scorer for Indiana.
But beyond all of that, Mathurin possesses one thing that is going to be critical to the Pacers' long-term success: scoring.
Amid all his flaws, one thing that nobody can take away from the Arizona alum is his talent and skill as a scorer. Throughout his NBA career so far, he has averaged 16.1 points while shooting 44.4% from the field and 34.8% from deep. And not to mention that he has come off the bench for more than half his games and is constantly improving every single year.
Mathurin is a tremendous scorer who can get hot in a second and is sometimes borderline unstoppable. He might be a bit of a ball-stopper, but his ability to put the ball on the floor, create his own shot, and score at all three levels allows him to take a lot of pressure off guys like Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and Pascal Siakam.
The 23-year-old has All-Star-level talent, and finding someone else like him isn't going to be easy for the Pacers. Sure, Indiana might be in desperate need of a new starting center. But unless it's a clear-cut upgrade at the position, there is no player worth giving up Mathurin for.