The Indiana Pacers are 11-16 after Wednesday’s win. Despite two consecutive victories, the Pacers seem increasingly likely to press the reset button as the NBA’s trade deadline nears. They last made the playoffs in the 2019-20 season under head coach Nate McMillan and fired Nate Bjorkgren after just one season, making the move to hire Rick Carlisle instead.
Needless to say, nothing’s changed. They currently have a lower winning percentage than they had each of their past two seasons. In fact, it’s the lowest since their 2009-10 season in which the team went 32-50.
So it stands to reason, the team may finally give in and trade players who may not fit a timeline that involves a full rebuild. The Pacers have several talented players on their team, but the two who seem to be generating the most trade interest are their most accomplished athletes.
Indiana Pacers front office has been busy taking trade calls
At least, that’s what Pacers team president Kevin Pritchard recently hinted at when mentioning their front office is “fielding plenty of calls” regarding a possible trade for their bigs.
Headlining that group is two-time NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis, the son of basketball Hall-of-Fame Arvydas who was a Blazer for seven seasons. The younger Sabonis is considered the best, most valuable piece the Pacers have and should return quite the haul, should he be traded.
The other big man teams have called about is two-time NBA blocks leader Myles Turner, who is unhappy with his role in Indiana. Both players are just 25 years old and could serve as core members of a team with playoff aspirations.
Last season, we saw the Chicago Bulls make a trade for Nikola Vucevic. Sabonis will undoubtedly bring in a better return than the then 30-year old Vooch, who was acquired for their 2021 first-round pick along with a 2023 first-round selection in addition to Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter.