Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Indiana Pacers are reportedly open to trading the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft order to land a “high-level wing player.”
“Indiana has been talking to people about the No. 7 pick," Windhorst reported. "I’ve been told they’ve been trying to get wing players. They’ve been trying to move out of No. 7 to get a high-level wing player. I think they might be able to, if they’re motivated enough.”
Natural conclusions have been drawn to Toronto’s OG Anunoby, who Indiana reportedly aggressively pursued near last season’s trade deadline. The Raptors, coming off a disappointing season with starting guard Fred VanVleet set to hit the open market, could opt for a rebuild as early as next season and have reportedly shopped Anunoby in the past.
Anunoby, who averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and just shy of two steals per game last season for the Raptors, would slot in seamlessly in Indiana next to All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and up-and-coming shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin.
Of course, the Pacers will likely have their fair share of fun fits with the seventh overall pick, including Houston’s Jarace Walker, UCF’s Taylor Hendricks, Villanova wing Cam Whitmore and more. On the Raptors’ end, they’ll likely have their eyes set on similar prospects.
Most likely, Indiana will choose to stay pat and select a talented player to add to their growing core, as a deal of this caliber is simply too hard to put together.
Regardless, there’s going to be plenty of fireworks on draft night 2023, with picks No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 7 and No. 10 reportedly up for grabs. The draft kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 22.
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