Speculation about the Indiana Pacers being active again before the NBA trade deadline was often depending on where the information was coming from. In January, the Pacers made a deal to acquire Pascal Siakam from Toronto. That trade cost the Pacers three first-round picks as well as Bruce Brown and Jordan Nwora.
Because of the cost of acquiring the former two-time All-NBA player, some analysts expected that to be the only move by the Pacers. Others thought the team might be active but with smaller moves.
So, what to make out of all the trades made by the Pacers at the deadline? First, we’ll recap the deals and then provide an overall analysis of the busy activity.
Pacers receive Doug McDermott, Furkan Korkmaz, 2024 second-round pick (via Toronto), 2029 second-round pick (via Portland), and $1.2 million from Philadelphia
76ers receive Buddy Hield
Spurs receive Marcus Morris, a 2029 second-round pick (via L.A. Clippers), and $320 thousand from Indiana
The rumored trade finally happened. The return, though, wasn’t as impactful of a return as fans had hoped.
The Pacers got a former player in McDermott, and he should help replace some of the shooting presence that Hield provided. McDermott can also provide some spacing that Hield did and McDermott can provide some more length, too. Later in the day, the Pacers waived Korkmaz.
This trade, on the surface, seems to be more beneficial for Philadelphia than for Indiana. But Hield wasn’t expected to re-sign with the Pacers so they were at least able to get something for him. Those second-round picks can be useful for the team to make a bigger move, either on draft night or in the off-season.
Pacers acquire Cory Joseph, 2025 second-round pick (via Charolette), and $5.8 million
Warriors receive a second-round pick
Just before the deadline Indiana was able to make a trade with Golden State. Initially, the thinking is that this move would bring another close friend of Tyrese Haliburton’s and help soften the loss of Hield. Only for the Pacers to later waive Joseph.
In the end, this deal was beneficial for Golden State as they saved $3.75 million and for the Pacers, it netted them another second-round pick and cash. But both of these moves helped the teams more in the offseason than they do now.
Overall Analysis
Individually, these two trades at the deadline are meh. However, when you include the previous move of the Pacers acquiring Siakam, then this year’s activity before the deadline was a big success. This roster overall isn’t competing for a championship this season but it is good enough to be in the playoffs and make some noise.
Moving on from Hield frees up some minutes for some of the younger players on the roster. Specifically speaking, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, and rookie Ben Sheppard. The player that most people, fans and analysts, are expecting to benefit from this trade is Mathurin. The prevailing thought is that he’ll move into the starting lineup.
But Pacers coach Rick Carlisle likes the second ball handler and defensive presence that Nembhard provides. It will allow for offensive responsibility for Mathurin in the second unit, though. And it does provide more of an opportunity for Sheppard to gain some experience.
But how do the trade deadline moves impact the team in the future? Well, McDermott’s contract is up after this season and he is more likely to command less money than Hield. So, there’s more of a chance that the team re-signs him.
However, he’s not the team’s only free agent as Siakam, Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Wong, Kendall Brown, and Oscar Tshiebwe will also facing free agency. Smith has a $5.4 million player option, and Toppin is a restricted free agent. Whereas McDermott and Siakam are both unrestricted free agents. The Pacers are going to need to have a lot of cap space available to them if they’re going to successfully re-sign Siakam.
It’s also a thought that Indiana could be pursuing a third star to accompany Haliburton and Siakam. If this is to happen then the team will need as much available cap space as possible. But for now, the Pacers will be focused on getting healthy, getting their new players better acclimated, and getting a spot in the playoff. All of these in-season moves should be more beneficial to the franchise in the long term.