In many ways, Ben Sheppard has been one of the biggest disappointments for the Indiana Pacers this season.
Early in the season, Indiana was without Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Kam Jones, and Quenton Jackson due to a plethora of injuries. Because of this, Rick Carlisle turned to Sheppard to handle some point guard responsibilities and man the fort, which didn't go all too well.
In his first 20 games of the season (which included 10 starts), the Atlanta native averaged 6.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 33.8% from the field and 25.3% from deep in 25.6 minutes.
Obviously, Sheppard isn't a traditional point guard, and it seemed like everybody struggled for the Pacers to begin the season. He has mostly turned it around since, but he remains wildly inconsistent, particularly from deep.
Since December, Sheppard has shot 44.7% from deep, but that includes eight different instances of him shooting 33% from beyond the arc in a game or worse. Additionally, while his defense is still solid, he hasn't taken that next step in his development that many were hoping to see this season.
In a recent episode of the "Setting the Pace" podcast, Alex Golden mentioned that Sheppard's contract will jump from a $2.8 million salary to a $5 million expiring contract. As the Pacers potentially look to avoid the luxury tax (while maybe also adding someone like Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa in the draft), Golden questions whether the 24-year-old could be on the move this offseason.
"With Ben Sheppard sitting there at $5 million as an expiring, it kind of makes you wonder how much longer his future is here with the Pacers just because of what could potentially happen here in the draft. ... I think using his $5 million expiring deal, it could be very intriguing to other teams because Sheppard is a good defender, but his three-point shot is very inconsistent," Golden said.
Should the Pacers trade Ben Sheppard?
Sheppard obviously isn't an untouchable for the Pacers, and he could be a solid trade candidate.
He is still young and has room to grow, and he could be an appealing target for another team looking for backcourt depth and someone who may develop into a legitimate 3-and-D player. And even without factoring in who the Pacers could land in the draft (assuming they keep their pick), trading him could make sense for them.
Sheppard is about to be on an expiring contract, and he hasn't really shown much to justify getting paid $5 million or more, especially on a team that hasn't paid the luxury tax in two decades. Plus, there's a real chance he ultimately loses his role anyway, whether it be to Johnny Furphy once he returns from his ACL tear, Jackson if Indiana signs him to a standard contract, or any of the rookies.
The Belmont alum is a fine player, but he's very replaceable. As Golden mentioned, he is a very inconsistent shooter, and when he's off, he doesn't provide a ton of offensive value.
Indiana should absolutely look into trading Sheppard at some point in the summer. They're probably not going to re-sign him next year anyway, and they have plenty of other options to replace him. He's a good player, but his time with the Pacers might be coming to an end. And it's easy to see why.