Pacers 'Open' to Making Massive Trade After Finals: Report

The 6-foot-5 fifth-year senior swingman, a two-time All-Mountain West Conference honoree, averaged 18.9 points on .496/.377/.777 shooting splits, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per bout in his 36 contests during 2024-25.

Whether or not Clifford is available by the time the Pacers can use their current No. 23 pick, Woo cautions that it's possible Indiana may ditch the selection to save some cash.

"Amid a remarkable playoff run that has underscored the depth and quality of Indiana's roster, the Pacers are said to be open to moving their first-round pick, making this one of many selections in this range that could change hands," Woo writes. "With Myles Turner due for a new contract that would take the Pacers into the luxury tax -- something the organization has long avoided -- the prospect of using this pick to create financial savings, help keep the current roster intact, and extract value by other means makes sense." 

3-and-D center Myles Turner, who has had a bit of an up-and-down Finals, is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and appears to be due for a raise from his $19.9 million salary for 2024-25.

In Game 5, the 29-year-old Texas product finished with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from the charity stripe, six rebounds, one assist and a steal across just 24:41, scant minutes for a starter. Backup bigs Obi Toppin (21:40) and Tony Bradley (12:16) played a surprising amount of minutes in his stead.

It's encouraging that Indiana would be amenable to heading into the luxury tax to preserve the core group that has brought the club to brink of its first-ever title, and if ditching a first round pick this year will help the front office do that, then so be it.