This season has been great for the Indiana Pacers. They have established themselves as one of the top teams in the East and look like a lock to make the playoffs. (Play-In, at the very least.)
Tyrese Haliburton has the Pacers’ offense at the top of the league, but unfortunately, their defense has lagged behind, as it’s been one of the worst in the NBA.
Because of that, it feels as though there is still a ton of room for improvement in Pacer land, and this year’s trade deadline could be the time for them to address their biggest issues.
A recent article by Michael Pina of The Ringer mocked up a deal that would see the Pacers land a potential game-changing player for two key guys on their roster.
Here’s the full outline of the mock trade:
Pacers receive: OG Anunoby, Otto Porter Jr.
Raptors receive: Buddy Hield, Jarace Walker, two unprotected first-round picks
Anunoby has been solid this year. He’s averaging 15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 48.0% from the field and 39.0% from behind the three-point line.
Porter Jr. hasn’t gotten significant run for the Raptors this season, but just a couple of years ago, he was a crucial part of the Golden State Warriors’ championship run.
On the Pacers side of things, Hield is averaging 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 37.4% from beyond the three-point arc.
As for Walker, he hasn’t played much in the Pacers’ rotation this year despite the constant calls of fans for head coach Rick Carlisle to give him more minutes.
Let’s grade the potential deal from both sides.
1. Grade for the Toronto Raptors
This season has been a weird one for the Toronto Raptors. They’ve been stuck in the middle for years. Ever since Kawhi Leonard left after their 2019 title run, they’ve been firmly stuck in the middle.
At their best, the Raptors were a mid-tier playoff team that gave first-round opponents a bit of trouble. At their worst, the Raptors have been a team on the outside looking in of the Play-In Tournament.
At the time of writing this, the Raptors are 10-15 on the season and sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. In their last 10 games, they are just 3-7.
Scottie Barnes’ emergence as an All-Star-level talent has opened an obvious pathway forward for the Raptors, but that path should involve moving some exterior pieces.
Toronto could easily keep OG Anunoby, who is still just 26 years old, and build with him and Barnes, but trading him could also reap some rewards.
Buddy Hield is going to be a free agent at the end of the year. While he would help the Raptors’ need for three-point shooting, he likely doesn’t fit into their long-term plans, so unless they make this a three-team deal, he seems like a fairly useless piece for them.
Walker, on the other hand, could be an intriguing addition to their roster, though there are some very clear similarities between his and Barnes’ games.
Overall, this trade feels fairly “meh” for the Raptors despite the fact that they’d be getting two unprotected first-round picks.
Grade: D+
2. Grade for the Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton has helped the Indiana Pacers burst onto the scene this season. Highlighted by a deep run in the In-Season Tournament, the Pacers are one of the most fun stories of the season.
At the time of writing this, however, the Pacers are in a bit of a lull. They are 13-11 on the season, which is good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
They’ve suffered a couple of tough recent losses to the Washington Wizards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the former being a bad loss to a bad team and the latter being an ugly effort without Haliburton in the lineup.
This trade with the Toronto Raptors would give Haliburton one of the best 3-and-D wings to play with in OG Anunoby, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team last season.
Indiana has been one of the worst defensive teams in the league this season, and adding Anunoby to the mix would provide them a huge boost on that side of the ball.
Plus, if given a larger offensive role, Anunoby seems like the type of player who could blossom on the Pacers. But even more importantly, he’s comfortable playing off the ball.
Not only could Anunoby be a great piece next to Haliburton, but he could be the final piece that Indiana needs to make the jump from likely Play-In team to legitimate playoff-caliber squad.
Considering Buddy Hield is set to be a free agent this summer, and Jarace Walker doesn’t get regular rotation minutes, this trade should be a no-brainer for the Pacers, regardless of the picks involved.
Grade: A