The Indiana Pacers have made it no secret that their two big stars, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, are on the trade block.
At 14-23 through 37 games, the Pacers are sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference. They’re not going anywhere this year.
As such, it makes sense to get rid of pieces who don’t want to be there.
That said, the front office isn’t blowing this group up for a long-term rebuild.
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, Indiana has a very clear objective in any prospective trade: get pieces that can help win now.
“Indiana will listen to offers with a lot of draft picks, but the team’s preference is to receive players who can help them regain playoff status, according to league sources. Think about theoretical targets such as De’Aaron Fox, Ben Simmons, and Pascal Siakam—guys who are of near-equal value to Sabonis and Turner, or even upgrades.”
Thus far the Pacers have been linked to a pretty substantial potential trade with the Golden State Warriors, and a similarly notable one with the New York Knicks.
The Los Angeles Lakers are also maneuvering hard for Turner’s services, though it remains to be seen if anything will ultimately materialize on that front.
Regardless of what eventually ends up happening, clearly the Pacers are hoping to make a splash on the trade market this year.
What that splash will ultimately look like remains to be seen.
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