The Indiana Pacers, after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season and taking the Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in the Finals this year, are one of the best teams in the NBA. However, in that Game 7, All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles and will likely miss all of next season.
Of course, in a weak East, the Pacers can still compete with Andrew Nembhard taking over playmaking duties, although with their best player out, it's hard to imagine them repeating as conference champions.
With plenty of young talent and depth pieces, the Pacers could make a splashy trade this offseason to better position themselves for success when Haliburton returns, and three players have been named in trade rumors.
"In addition, teams around the league circled the wagon on the trade availability of Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker this season," wrote HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. "Rival teams are expected to circle the wagon again this offseason on those players."
While Mathurin holds the best trade value, since he is a solid player still on his rookie contract, shedding Toppin's salary would allow for more flexibility for the Pacers and, depending on the deal they make, could get them back under the luxury tax after they re-sign Myles Turner.
Walker, it seems, is the most expendable. He is buried behind Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and Toppin on the Pacers' depth chart and hasn't really been given a chance to develop, although he would fetch the smallest return in a trade.
While the Pacers' offseason has only been 48 hours long, they are already the subject of rumors, and Scotto's report was backed up by ESPN insider Brian Windhorst.
In the East, the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and even Detroit Pistons could have a better regular season than the Pacers, although every team, aside from the Magic, still has the means to make a win-now or future-driven move.
The Pacers do not have a first-round pick in this year's draft, so they don't have to act with the same urgency as teams looking to find a stud on Wednesday, but expect Indiana to, at the very least, be a team to watch.
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