While the Pacers made one huge move for Pascal Siakam, they should still be active in the trade market.
The Indiana Pacers have already made a significant move ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Their pyrotechnics came on January 17th, when they traded Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round selections to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for multi-time All-Star Pascal Siakam.
While it seems unlikely that the Pacers would make another blockbuster move, it would be prudent for them to continue canvassing the trade landscape. They are still a very deep team, with guys that other teams may want. After surrendering three first-round picks, the Pacers have an incentive to deal from their depth and recuperate some of the draft capital they shipped to Toronto.
But who sticks out as prospective trade targets? Perhaps Obi Toppin and Buddy Hield will be routed away before the trade deadline.
Prior to Pascal Siakam’s cutting skills, Tyrese Haliburton’s playmaking, and Myles Turner’s ability to stretch the floor, Obi Toppin’s rim-running appeared to be a good fit for the Pacers for the same reasons. Toppin and his team desired a fresh start away from the New York Knicks, in part due to a stalemate in the frontcourt with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, and even Josh Hart playing some minutes at the four.
Toppin received exactly what he sought in an offseason trade to the Pacers. He has already started 28 games this season, which is not only a career-high but is also nearly double the amount of starts Toppin had in three seasons in New York (15). He’s also averaging a career-high 23.2 minutes per game.
That’s great. But now that Siakam has joined the Pacers, there’s a logjam for minutes in the frontcourt. Siakam and Turner will start and play the majority of the minutes, although 2023 rookies Jarace Walker, Jalen Smith, and Isaiah Jackson will also compete for playing time.
The Pacers do not have to trade any of these players. However, if a team is looking to give them a handful of seconds for one of them, that would be a fairly nice return after paying three firsts to bring in Siakam. They could theoretically reverse those and/or some of their own seconds to reclaim one of those firsts.
Of those players, Toppin may be the most likely to be dealt. The Pacers had already signed Smith to a contract extension and utilized their draft capital to choose Walker and Jackson. They did none of those things to bring in Toppin. He’s a name to remember before the deadline.
Buddy Hield, Guard
Remember when Buddy Hield and the Pacers agreed to work together to locate a potential trade before the NBA season began?
Well, nothing has come of that report since. Hield’s presence on the court has made little difference. He’s still shooting at an amazing rate (he’s averaging seven three-pointers per game this season) and making a solid 38.8% of them.
However, his contract is about to expire, and another Pacers first-round rookie (Ben Sheppard) is making his way into the lineup. Sheppard has played 148 minutes over the last eight games for Indiana.
Hield has more minutes in that time period than Sheppard, but Sheppard was known as a knockdown shooter coming out of Belmont. With Siakam’s deal approaching, it appears doubtful that the Pacers will extend Hield.
They also have a replacement for him waiting in the wings in Sheppard. Even if they can’t get much for Hield, it’s better to obtain something for him now than lose him forever.
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