AJ MAST/Associated Press
The Indiana Pacers missed the playoffs last season, ending their streak of consecutive postseason appearances at five. Before they get back there, it’s quite possible that they’ll undergo a rebuild and construct a new core for their roster.
Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic reported that the Pacers are “expected to open up trade conversations around some of their veteran stalwarts” as they move toward a rebuild. So that seems to indicate that Indiana’s roster could undergo some fairly big changes.
That doesn’t mean the Pacers won’t try to win in the meantime, though. According to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star, the team recently had a meeting that included head coach Rick Carlisle and its top four players (Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner) that pertained to the possibility of moves.
“The message in the meeting is that Indiana is ‘trying to win’ with its current roster, but ‘it doesn’t mean trades can’t happen,'” Boyd wrote.
So, who may the Pacers consider trading down the line? Charania and Kravitz reported that Indiana has been “receptive in trade dialogue” with teams regarding LeVert, Sabonis and Turner.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, there are some NBA scouts and executives who believe that Turner is most likely to be traded, which has been shown by his “fluctuating minutes” under Carlisle. Turner is averaging 29.1 minutes in 26 games, but there were stretches last month when he was playing well below that.
Ian Begley of SNY reported that the New York Knicks have some executives in favor of the team pursuing a trade for Turner. Begley noted that New York would likely be willing to deal any of its centers in order to acquire Turner, while it could also have the draft capital to entice Indiana.
As for LeVert, there’s one team that could be a clear potential suitor. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported that there are numerous people within the Cleveland Cavaliers’ organization who are “fans” of LeVert and that they’re possibly looking to upgrade their shooting guard position.
LeVert is in his sixth NBA season and his second with the Pacers, who acquired him in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 13. He’s averaging 14.9 points in 19 games this season.
Indiana is 11-16 and in 13th in the Eastern Conference. It has won two straight games, but those victories came after a stretch in which it had lost five of six games. And if the Pacers endure more struggles, there may be a greater chance of these trade rumors coming to fruition.
For now, Indiana’s core remains together. But it’s possible that will no longer be the case by the time the trade deadline arrives on Feb. 10. So it will be interesting to see how these situations develop and what moves the Pacers could make during the season, as well as possibly after it.
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