The Indiana Pacers are fresh off a drama-filled 14-point loss to Milwaukee. However, during their NBA In-Season Tournament run, it was reported that the blue and gold are looking at acquiring a “big, athletic, two-way wing”.
This isn’t shocking news, as last year there was a lot of interest from the Pacers in acquiring Toronto’s O.G. Anunoby. There was even a report last year near the trade deadline that Indiana offered multiple draft picks for Anunoby and was turned down. So, to hear Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski report already this season that the Pacers are in the market for a big wing is not new news.
However, what is news are some of the names that have been linked to the Pacers. The NBA trade deadline is still months away (Feb. 8), and the team is in a prime position. In fifth place of the Eastern Conference standings, the Pacers are just three and a half games back of Boston for the top seed.
The Pacers are leading the league in points per game at 128.5 and can have up to $18 million in cap space to go along with their two first-round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. But with all of these advantages, the team needs to be smart in their pursuit of the type of player they want. Considering they have a young franchise superstar in Tyrese Haliburton, they should pursue another All-Star player and not just another good player.
So, here are six players that the Pacers should target in a trade to fill their need for a “big, athletic, two-way wing.”
P.J. Washington
The 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Kentucky has been productive over his four-year NBA career. Coming out of college he was viewed a bit as a tweener, as he was undersized for the power-forward spot and not athletic enough for the small-forward spot in the NBA. He wouldn’t be able to overpower NBA players in the paint and he’ll need to improve his perimeter shooting.
- 44.9% FG, 36.3% 3P, 71.1% FT 13 PTS, 5.5 REB, 2.3 AST, 0.9 STL, 1 BLK
He seems to have figured out how to be an effective and versatile player as he’s able to hold his own against NBA big men while operating at times as a small-ball center. Washington also fits the current Pacers timeline as he just turned 25 this past August. His current contract pays him an average of $15.5 million a year and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season.
While he’s never been named an NBA All-Star he did make the 2019-2020 All-Rookie team. In his best season (2020-21), Washington averaged 12.9 PTS, 6.5 REB, 2.5 AST, 1.1 STL, and 1.2 BLK. However, the fifth-year pro may never make an All-Star team even though he’s a very valuable player who can have a long and productive career.
Related: 2023-24 NBA Power Rankings: Evaluating all 30 teams after the NBA In-Season Tournament
Pascal Siakam
The 27th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of New Mexico State has vastly outperformed his draft slot as there were concerns about his game translating to the pros from a mid-major college program. It could be argued that he’s better than his class’ No. 1 overall pick.
- 48.8% FG, 32.1% 3P, 77.2% FT 17.2 PTS, 6.5 REB, 3.6 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.6 BLK
The 29-year-old is in the final year of his contract which is paying him $37.8 million. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent and has made it clear that he intends to head into free agency. Siakam will be looking to get the last big contract of his career. His age and the trade cost are a couple of factors that can make the Pacers acquiring him challenging.
However, the front office has shown that it can rise to meet any challenging trade. The team has cap space to extend Siakam if they can convince him not to enter free agency or they could repeat history and sign an older former two-time All-Star like they did with David West. Only Siakam is also an NBA champion, 2x All-NBA, and the 2018-19 Most Improved player.
Related: NBA playoff predictions: Bracket picks & 2024 Finals champion
O.G. Anunoby 6-foot-7 232lbs Small forward
You can’t have a list of players that the Pacers should trade for and not include OG Anunoby. The two are seemingly linked every year, similar to the Myles Turner trade rumors. Regardless, the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Indiana has been an ever-improving player who may not have reached his full potential yet. He’s a player that the team could have drafted but instead chose T.J. Leaf as there were concerns about Anunoby in the NBA and he was recovering from an ACL injury.
- 47.1% FG, 37.7% 3P, 74% FT 11.8 PTS, 4.3 REB, 1.6 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.5 BLK
As previously mentioned, he’s shown improvement every year he’s been in the NBA, at least in one area of his game. He’s only 26 years old so he would fit this team’s timeline and there is the famous clip of Anunoby telling Haliburton to “trade for him” moments after their game ends. While Anunoby has never made an All-Star, he is a steals and NBA champion.
But just like with Siakam, Toronto is going to be asking a lot in return for him. Similar to Washington, there is a concern that Anunoby is also not an All-Star but a very valuable player for his team. And if that’s the case then is he worth trading a lot to acquire? While his contract isn’t up after this season, he does have a $19.9 million player option, which is a risk the Pacers can’t afford to take if he’s not willing to opt in.
Klay Thompson
The 11th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft out of Washington State has had a highly successful career and is one of the best three-point shooters of all time. He currently ranks 10th in NBA history in three-pointers made and should move into eighth by the end of this season. His partnership with Steph Curry has led them to four NBA championships.
- 45.4% FG, 41.4% 3P, 85.3% FT 19.6 PTS, 3.6 REB, 2.3 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.5 BLK
While earlier in the season there was a report from Zach Lowe about teams expressing interest in acquiring the five-time All-Star, the team has since come out and said they’re not interested in trading him. Currently, Golden State sits 11th in the standings, with a 10-13 record, and is two and half games back of New Orleans for the final spot in the play-in. If the Warriors aren’t able to get their season turned around, they could have an interest in freeing up some valuable cap space as they’re currently $42.9 million over the tax.
Thompson is 33 years old and would be the oldest player on the roster. But, he would bring with him championship experience and help the Pacers’ defense. Indiana has cap space and could take on his $43.2 million salary as Thompson is set to be a free agent after the season. He would provide shooting, which is something this team needs, and considering his age and Golden State’s salary cap problems, Thompson may not cost as much to acquire. He even already has some chemistry with Bennedict Mathurin, as the two worked out together this past summer.
Mikal Bridges
The 10th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft out of Villanova has seen his play and game get better every year of his seven-year career. He’s shown that he can be a versatile player who is capable of complementing superstars or being the leading man himself. Coming out of college he drew comparisons to Otto Porter and Robert Covington.
- 49.5% FG, 37.7% 3P, 85.8% FT 13.7 PTS, 4.1 REB, 2.4 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.6 BLK
Since he was traded to Brooklyn as part of the Kevin Durant deal, his game has taken off. During his time with his new team, he’s shooting 48.2 FG%, 38 3P%, and 88.5 FT% while averaging 24.8 PTS, 5.2 REB, 3.3 AST, 1 STL, and 0.6 BLK. The 27-year-old would fit the Pacers’ timeline and be a perfect fit with this roster. While he hasn’t yet made an All-Star he most likely has some appearances in his future.
He did make the 2021-2022 All-Defensive team so his addition would be valuable. However, Brooklyn is currently the eighth seed and may not want to trade away their star player, especially if they’re able to get a healthy Ben Simmons back. If the Pacers are somehow able to convince Brooklyn to trade their best player, it wouldn’t be cheap. Bridges is young and still has two more years on his current contract with an average salary of $22.7 million a year.
Related: 10 NBA players most important to their team, including Nikola Jokic
Paul George
The Pacers’ 10th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft out of Fresno State is one of the best two-way players in the league, even in his age 33 season. Coming out of college he drew comparisons to Scottie Pippen and has shown that he is more of the Robin than Batman type. The good news for him is that if he were to return to Indiana, he would be the second superstar on the team behind Haliburton.
- 43.7% FG, 38.1% 3P, 85.2% FT 20.7 PTS, 6.4 REB, 3.7 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.4 BLK
Now, there are a lot of concerns about George. He hasn’t played over 65 games since the 2018-2019 season, is much more in a win-now mode, and would need to repair his relationship with the organization that drafted him. But there is no question that the franchise found great success in trading him and his return to the team would be a great fit.
George is under contract for one more season but has a $48.7 million player option that he most likely will pick up. Right now, the Pacers have the cap space but acquiring George with his massive contract would remove their spending flexibility and remove a lot of depth as well. Then of course, there is the fact that George is from California and is finally back home. Acquiring George would be a long shot, but again, his play and skill set would be a great fit for this ascending Pacers team.
