The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly trading All-Star guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert (h/t Shams Charania of ESPN). While it may not seem like it on the surface, this trade could pay huge dividends for the Indiana Pacers for the long haul as it could increase their chances of landing the first overall pick in this year's draft.
Indiana is 6-31 this season, which stands alone as the worst record in the NBA. On top of that, they are a full 4.5 games behind the No. 14 seed in the Eastern Conference, which just so happens to be the Wizards.
As it stands, it remains to be seen when Young will make his return, if he does at any point this season. He has played just 10 games this season due to MCL and calf injuries, and Washington is reportedly expected to be cautious with him moving forward (h/t Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
However, if he does return this season, he should be a fantastic fit alongside players like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George. And that is exactly what the Pacers want to hear.
The Pacers have a real shot to land the No. 1 overall pick this year
This season hasn't gone the way most had expected, even under the circumstances of Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury and Myles Turner's departure. However, if there is one silver lining to their nightmare season, they will be well-positioned to land a high draft pick in what is expected to be a loaded class.
If Indiana finishes with the worst record in the league, it would be guaranteed to land a top-five draft pick with a good chance to secure the first overall pick. And if there was ever a year in recent seasons for the Pacers to play for the lottery, it's this year.
As it stands, there is a consensus top-three players in this year's draft who could all be legitimate franchise players: Darryn Peterson of Kansas, AJ Dybantsa of BYU, and Cam Boozer of Duke. (Not to mention UNC's Caleb Wilson, who is having a fantastic season himself). If the Pacers were to land any of these players, they would be in an even greater position moving forward.
There is still a lot of basketball left, but at this point, it's fair to assume that another postseason appearance is not in the cards for Indiana. Instead, they should have their sights set on the draft lottery, and following the Wizards' blockbuster trade, their outlook just got a whole lot brighter.