There’s a decent chance that the Indiana Pacers will deal two-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis ahead of the NBA trade deadline in February.
Earlier in the week, reports indicated that the struggling Pacers were willing to move off either Sabonis or Myles Turner in a trade.
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard took that to a whole new level recently, indicating that his team was having plenty of trade conversations.
Obviously, Sabonis would have himself a huge trade market. The 25-year-old Oregon native is averaging a robust 19.2 points to go with 12.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 54% shooting since the start of the 2019-20 campaign. Below, we look at four ideal trade scenarios.
Related: Updated NBA trade rumors
Domantas Sabonis trade to the New York Knicks
- Knicks get: Domantas Sabonis
- Pacers get: R.J. Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Kemba Walker 2022 first-round pick
The New York Knicks are running in neutral at 12-13 on the season. The team needs to do something to shake this up outside of pulling Kemba Walker from the rotation. Simply put, this squad looks like nothing more than a play-in tournament contender. Adding Sabonis to the mix to team up with Julius Randle in the frontcourt would do a whole heck of a lot.
In this scenario, Indiana adds a young win in R.J. Barrett to build around moving forward. He’s upped his game big time since some initial struggles, averaging 16.9 points and 5.7 rebounds on 39% shooting from distance since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Bringing in Robinson could also help settle the frontcourt some.
Related: Portland Trail Blazers rebuild plan
Domantas Sabonis trade to the Portland Trail Blazers
- Trail Blazers get: Domantas Sabonis
- Pacers get: Anfernee Simons, Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, 2024 first-round pick
Imagine Sabonis returning to his native Portland and playing for the same team his father, Arvydas, did. It’s just a great storyline. From an on-court perspective, it’s rather clear that the current iteration of the Blazers is not working. If the team wants to be able to retain Damian Lillard long-term, it simply must get him more help. If not, a full-scale rebuild should be in the cards.
Noticing a theme here for the Pacers? Addressing the wing position with a young player. At 22, Simons brings a lot to the table on both ends of the court. He’s averaging a career-high 12.0 points on 46% shooting from the field. Nurkic could also be flipped for more draft capital. Meanwhile, Little has an ability to be a solid rotational piece.
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Domantas Sabonis trade to the Golden State Warriors
- Warriors get: Domantas Sabonis
- Pacers get: James Wiseman, Moses Moody, Kevon Looney, first-round pick
The Warriors are an NBA-best 21-4 on the season. So, why mess with a good thing? Well, they are doing this with Wiseman still sidelined to injury and Moody seeing more time in the G-League than the NBA. Adding a two-time All-Star with both shooting and passing skills to team up with Draymond Green inside would be an absolute coup. At 25, Sabonis also hasn’t even hit his prime as of yet.
Indiana adds two recent lottery picks to the mix, one in Wiseman who still boasts a tremendous amount of upside and can be seen as a franchise cornerstone. As for Moody, he has an ability to be a pretty big asset as a shooting option out on the perimeter.
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Domantas Sabonis trade to the Los Angeles Lakers
- Lakers get: Domantas Sabonis
- Pacers get: Talen-Horton-Tucker, Austin Reeves, Kendruck Nunn, Kent Bazemore, two first-round picks
Does Los Angeles have enough assets to pull off a trade of this ilk? It’s all about what teams think of Horton-Tucker as an evolving young wing. Some believe he can be a franchise cornerstone in the right place. Remember, Kyle Kuzma is excelling in D.C. after being viewed in the same manner during his time with the Lakers.
Needless to say, Los Angeles has to shake things up after an ugly 13-12 start to the season. This would be the best of both worlds. That is to say, getting a running partner for Anthony Davis over the short-term and finding a future core piece for when LeBron James ultimately calls it quits. However, the team might need to add a third first-round pick to make this work.