Would the Pacers be interested in a sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson?
By Ryan Stano
The Indiana Pacers are still looking for ways to improve their roster after a rousing run to the Eastern Conference Finals. They came very close to beating the Celtics in three out of the four games they played, but ultimately were not able to close them out. They need to be better in close situations.
Indiana knows that they need some roster improvements in order to do that. After signing Pascal Siakam to a max deal, they don't have much cap space to help do that. Any major roster change would have to be via a sign-and-trade. That would also likely mean getting rid of some young pieces on the team.
There is a report that the Warriors are trying to find a partner to sign and trade Klay Thompson to. It doesn't look like they are going to bring him back and he wants to continue to start. Would the Pacers possibly be interested in him?
Would the Pacers be smart to sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson?
Thompson used to be an elite player. Not only was he a knockdown shooter, but he was a solid defender as well. He was able to defend other team's wings and was considered the second-best defender on the team. The only better defender was Draymond Green.
After he tore his ACL and blew out his Achilles in consecutive years, he just hasn't been the same. His lateral quickness has taken a massive dip. His shooting has gotten worse too, although he still makes a ton of threes. He can't get around defenders like he used to.
Still, his three-point shooting can get hot in a hurry. Is that something the Pacers would be interested in? It could make their high-scoring offense even more deadly. Perhaps they just try to improve their offense so much that it doesn't matter how bad they are defensively.
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This would be a bad idea for the Pacers to pursue. Not only is his defense poor now, but he's 34 years old and on the decline. It would be a bad idea to shower him with a lot of money at this point in his career. If they are going to execute a sign-and-trade, it should be for someone else.