According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Indiana Pacers are interested in Jose Alvarado from the New Orleans Pelicans.
"As Indiana has looked for point guard help while coping without Tyrese Haliburton for the season in the wake of Haliburton's Achilles tear, sources say another name to monitor for the Pacers is New Orleans guard Jose Alvarado," Fischer wrote. "I'm told Indiana has kept the defensive pest on its radar throughout this early stretch of the season."
And this would be a fantastic addition.
Pacers should explore trades for Jose Alvarado
Alvarado is in the midst of his fifth season in New Orleans. And, while he continues to be a solid player for them, his role has gradually decreased due to the arrivals of rookie Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole, who has played a lot of point guard for the team this season.
Through 10 games this season, the Brooklyn native is averaging 6.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 42.3% from the field and 42.9% from deep. However, after averaging 24.4 minutes per game last season and starting 23 contests, his minutes have dropped significantly to 18. per game.
Plus, Alvarado has a $4.5 million player option for next season, so he could be a free agent in the offseason anyway. It remains to be seen if New Orleans truly has interest in trading him, but it wouldn't be too much of a surprise given the circumstances.
And this is exactly why the Pacers need to give them a call.
Alvarado would be a great fit in Indiana for multiple reasons. But perhaps the most obvious one is that they are in need of another point guard.
The Pacers have gone through a carousel of backup point guards since Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. They signed Monte Morris (twice), Delon Wright, and Cam Payne. Plus, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Taelon Peter, Quenton Jackson, and Kam Jones are either all currently sidelined or at one point were sidelined because of injuries.
They even had to slot Ben Sheppard over at point guard. That's how bad it got.
But Alvarado could still be a legitimate contributor for the Pacers past this season. He is a very pesky defender (they don't call him "Grand Theft Alvarado" for no reason. He has recorded at least 1 steal per game in every year of his career). And he also brings a lot of energy, toughness, and is a solid playmaker and shooter. Plus, he is also on a very cheap contract, which should be appealing for the Pacers.
Fischer didn't suggest who Indiana may have to move on from to acquire the 27-year-old, but it's hard to imagine that it would be a lot given his contract and situation.
The Pacers need to make some changes, but more so in hopes of having a better season next year than this one. He wouldn't be much of a game-changer, but Alvarado is a player every team in the NBA would love to have on their team. And Indiana has the chance to be the one to make it happen.