The Indiana Pacers are reportedly interested in Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis. They already struck gold when trading for one Kings guard in Tyrese Haliburton, so why not try to make it two?
According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, Indiana is one of "many teams" that have expressed interest in the 25-year-old.
"The Indiana Pacers have been among many teams to express interest in Ellis this season and have previously targeted him, league sources told HoopsHype," Scotto wrote.
The Kings are in a tough situation right now. They are 5-13 and are just two games above the New Orleans Pelicans, who own the worst record in the West.
Additionally, they look like a mess on the court with many vets who don't play well alongside each other. They don't play team basketball, and it would be incredibly difficult for them to make any trades because their top guys (Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan) don't have much trade value. And if they do, no team is willing to take on their contracts to make a deal happen.
Earlier in November, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that the Kings are willing to trade everybody on the roster, except for Keegan Murray and Nique Clifford.
This, in addition to Sacramento's head-scratching decision to not give him more playing time, has made Ellis a legitimate trade candidate this season. And the Pacers must absolutely pull the trigger if they can.
Keon Ellis would be a great fit for the Pacers
After averaging a career-high 24.4 minutes per game last season, Ellis is not getting a fair shake this year.
The Florida native is averaging 6.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 17.4 minutes this season. This is a major shock considering that Ellis can actually play. He is a great 3-and-D guard (he is shooting 42.9% from deep and averaging 1.2 steals per game in his career) while still being young enough to develop. And in a good situation, he could flourish.
This is why Indiana should make this happen if possible. Ellis would be a fantastic fit for the Pacers given his ability to space the floor, and he would be a great defender to add to the backcourt. Plus, he is currently in the final year of his three-year, $5.1 million contract. This is incredible value for a player who fits the Pacers' system and timeline.
And the Pacers have experience taking castaways from Sacramento and turning them into diamonds. This is exactly what happened when they traded for Haliburton in 2022.
At the time, the Kings had a surplus of guards and were still undecided between Haliburton and De'Aaron Fox for the long term. Ultimately, they chose Fox (who they ended up trading to the San Antonio Spurs in 2025 anyway) and sent the Wisconsin native to the Pacers, where he has since developed into a two-time All-NBA guard, an Olympic Gold medalist, and one of the team's most important players in recent years.
Could Ellis reach the same peak as Haliburton? Probably not. The Alabama alum is older than Haliburton by almost two months, and he doesn't have nearly as much upside. However, he can still be a valuable contributor in the NBA, and the Pacers need to make sure to take advantage of this opportunity before it's too late.