The Indiana Pacers will be a team to watch closely ahead of next week's trade deadline. So far, they have been linked to numerous big men in their quest to find their Myles Turner replacement, and guys like Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker could be on the move to make that happen.
Any trade Indiana makes will be to put the team in a better position for next season. A little over halfway through the campaign, the Pacers are 11-35 and own one of the worst records in the league. Miracles can happen, but it would take a lot for them to make the playoffs this year and make it back to the NBA Finals.
Still, the future is bright in Indiana, and there are reasons to believe the team will be right back in the title picture next season. Tyrese Haliburton will return from his injury, the East still looks to be wide-open, and the Pacers still have a young and talented team. And making a trade this season could improve their chances of winning it all next year.
However, despite all of that, the Pacers are probably just better off standing pat at this year's deadline. Even if it might not seem like the popular choice right now.
The Pacers' ideal trade deadline is obvious
Sure, it wouldn't hurt them to make a minor trade and move off an end-of-the-bench player in theory. But pertaining to any type of big, core-changing trades, the Pacers shouldn't do anything too drastic.
Indiana's most likely trade candidate is Mathurin. He is set to hit restricted free agency this summer and could be too expensive for the team to keep around. This is especially true given that there are genuine concerns about his long-term fit with the team due to his playstyle not meshing well with the Pacers' run-and-gun system.
The Canadian native shouldn't be untouchable. If the price is right, then maybe the Pacers can trade him. But that's exactly it: the price will never be right this season. Everyone knows Mathurin is about to be a restricted free agent, and everyone knows how badly the Pacers need a center. They don't have much leverage, and it's almost a guarantee that trading Mathurin wouldn't net equal value in return.
Plus, Mathurin is simply way too talented for Indiana to move on from. He might not be a perfect fit, but he is an incredibly gifted iso scorer who can get hot in a second.
And while the Pacers' center situation still isn't ideal, they shouldn't be too desperate to make a move happen this season.
Jay Huff has had an up-and-down first season with the Pacers, but the pros mostly outweigh the cons, and he deserves the chance to prove his value as a starter for the rest of the season. Furthermore, the team is better off just waiting until the offseason anyway to find their next starting center, given that they should have more trade possibilities than they would now.
Additionally, the elephant in the room is that making a trade that improves the team this season could actually hurt their long-term outlook because of their rank in the league standings.
The Pacers own the second-worst record in the NBA and have a real chance to secure a top-five pick in this year's draft. And given how loaded this year's class is supposed to be, this could be a real opportunity for them to add another top player to their roster.
Making a trade for any upgrade at center could make them a better team for next season and beyond, but it could also have big implications for this year. And depending on who you ask, they might not be the good kind.
The trade deadline is a little over a week away, and the Pacers will have some decisions to make. But as it stands, it shouldn't be that tough of a call.