The Indiana Pacers won't be trading a key player from the bench

The Pacers are in an interesting spot this season. After making the Eastern Conference Finals, they are trying to figure out what configuration will get them to the NBA Finals. How can they improve themselves the most? Do they need to make a trade? Or is free agency the best way to do it?

Indiana has some trade assets that it can use to improve the team. Free agency is a bit trickier because of the cap issues that they face with an owner who doesn't like to spend. One of the primary trade assets that they would have this offseason is T.J. McConnell.

McConnell is on an expiring contract and is coming off a career-best season. He was the guy that led the bench unit for the Pacers and many teams around the league covet him. It doesn't look like they are going to get the chance to trade for him either based on some new information.

The Pacers are working on extending T.J. McConnell

Speaking on Pat McAfee's show, Shams Charania reports that the Pacers are looking to extend McConnell. Chad Buchannan had mentioned that they'd like to keep him for the rest of his career in a radio interview, but now it looks like they are actually putting things in motion to extend him.

Bringing him back means that Indiana gets a point guard who is a leader for the team and who is well-liked. He can still play at an elite level for another couple of years, which seems to be the window for this team to contend. The fans love him as well.

Could they still sign and trade McConnell once he gets the extension? Technically. Do I anticipate that happening? I do not. If they were going to trade him, they would just leave it as an expiring deal to make it more attractive for another team. He's most likely staying in Indy.

That would mean two big pieces of free agency have been solved already. Only one more remains. We'll see what they decide to do with Obi Toppin now.