The 2023 NBA trade deadline saw a flurry of deals, and the Indiana Pacers actively tried to improve their team for this season and beyond.
The most traded commodity before the deadline was second-round draft picks. Golden State sent five second-round draft picks to Portland for Gary Payton II. Meanwhile, Memphis sent three second-round draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers in part of the Eric Gordon trade.
A team that was a little more active than some people expected were the Indiana Pacers. Heading into the deadline it wasn’t clear if the team would be sellers or buyers. Even GM Kevin Pritchard said the team would be “opportunistic” in their approach to the deadline.
Indiana Pacers added depth and filled a key need at NBA trade deadline
The team was in an interesting position where they have a lot of youth that they are trying to develop and they have some veteran players too. However, the most in-demand players are the ones the Indiana Pacers are trying to build with. And the veterans they have just aren’t in high demand.
Regardless, the team was able to make a trade that should be beneficial to them. They acquired Jordan Nwora, Serge Ibaka, George Hill, three second-round picks from Milwaukee, and cash considerations from Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Brooklyn received the draft rights to guard Juan Pablo Vaulet.
The two most interesting returns for the Pacers are the three second-round draft picks and Jordan Nwora. Nwora is listed as six-foot-eight and 225 pounds. The biggest weakness of the Indiana Pacers is not having a big wing. It is the one thing that is most talked about for the team’s needs. It’s possible now the team has rectified that weakness.
Nwora is in his third NBA season and appears to have fallen out of the rotation in Milwaukee. Last season he was getting around 19 minutes a game, for the season he’s getting under 16 minutes a game.
What’s most intriguing is looking at his Per-36, which shows there is more potential than what he has showcased in his time in Milwaukee. If the Pacers are able to get more of this out of him, then they could have landed themselves another young piece to pair up with their backcourt of the future in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Pacers have acquisition flexibility heading into 2023 NBA draft
The other piece the team got at the deadline is the previously mentioned three second-round draft picks. The Pacers already have three first-round picks and now will have at least six picks in the 2023 draft. These additional picks give the organization much more options and flexibility to maneuver in the draft.
As of right now, the Indiana Pacers are projected to draft inside the Top 10. With the multiple picks in the first round, the team can package them to move up in the draft. And then package the multiple second-round picks to move up again if they want. Or if they feel they can strike gold again with at least one of their second-round picks they can just stay put.
To make room for the player additions the Pacers released Goga Bitazde, Terry Taylor, and James Johnson. It’s also being reported that the team will release Ibaka and has an interest in bringing back Johnson. For a team that was looking to be opportunistic at the trade deadline, they followed through on their words.