Dennis Smith Jr. is going to be one of the hottest names in the rumor mill leading up to the NBA trade deadline. Reports have broken that the Dallas Mavericks are looking to trade Smith and that there are a few teams already interested in acquiring him. While the Indiana Pacers have not been mentioned as one of the teams with early interest, they should strongly consider making an offer.

After starting the season 28-14, some would ask why the Pacers would look to make a deal. They are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and could be warming up for a playoff run.

Quite simply, while the Pacers are good now, they are not a title contender. Even though they could potentially make a run at appearing in the NBA Finals, they are not quite ready to contend with teams like the Golden State Warriors. Continuing to build for two years down the road would be a wise decision.

Throughout the 28 games that he has played this season, Smith has averaged 12.6 points per game to go along with 3.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds. He has shot 44.3 percent from the field overall and has knocked down 37.5 percent of his 3-point attempts.

In order to pull off a trade for Smith, the Pacers would likely have to give up Darren Collison, Cory Joseph, a pick or multiple picks, and possibly a young talent like Aaron Holiday or T.J. Leaf.

Collison and Joseph are both on expiring contracts, which could be of interest to Dallas. Mark Cuban's team would likely taken one of the veteran point guards in return, along with a pick and a young player. Indiana would then hold on to the other veteran point guard and would have Smith slide in as their starter.

Indiana would have a back-court duo of Smith and Victor Oladipo. That tandem would be among the most physically gifted in the league. With the right development, they could also turn into one of the most lethal offensive back-court duos in the NBA.

All of that being said, Kevin Pritchard could very well choose to stand pat once again at the trade deadline. Indiana can compete in the East this year and the make moves in the offseason with the load of cap space that they are projected to have.

If they do decide they want to make a splash at the trade deadline, however, staying young with a player like Smith would be the perfect fit.