The Indiana Pacers are one of two Eastern Conference teams who were able to benefit from the Toronto Raptors midseason fire sale, turning Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis Jr., Jordan Nwora, and multiple 1st round picks into two-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam. The acquisition of Siakam came just over a month after the Pacers made a surprising and exciting run to the Finals of the NBA's first ever In-Season Tournament, putting the rest of the league on notice that even though they wouldn't get an invitation into the upper echelon of contenders in Eastern Conference, they were the one team on the outside that none of those contenders would want to face in a postseason series. The question now becomes, is there a path for the Indiana Pacers to crash the Eastern Conference party come April and May like they already did in December?
Depending on how things play out at the NBA trade deadline, I think it's a possibility.
Healthy Tyrese Haliburton
Though this isn't necessarily a part of the “dream scenario” for the Pacers at the trade deadline, without a healthy Tyrese Haliburton, it doesn't matter what Indiana does over the course of the next four days. They could pull 1994 Reggie Miller out of a time machine and it wouldn't improve their standing anymore than a healthy Haliburton would.
After suffering a scary-looking hamstring injury in a home loss to the Boston Celtics on January 8th, the Pacers All-Star point guard missed ten games. Only recently has Haliburton made a return to the court, on a minutes restriction that he has recently voiced his frustrations with. Even more frustrating for Haliburton and Pacers fans alike is that due to his absence, we've seen just a microscopic sample size of Haliburton and Siakam sharing the court together. Those two need to play as many minutes as possible together before Indiana gets to the Playoffs.
Haliburton is averaging 22.8 points per game on 49-40-87 shooting splits, plus a league-leading 12.0 assists per game. He's been the catalyst of the Pacers playing at breakneck speed and putting forth the highest offensive rating in NBA history. It's impossible to overstate his importance to this team.
Eastern Conference Contenders Stand Pat
A successful trade deadline for the Pacers doesn't necessarily mean that Indiana has to make another potentially franchise altering deal in 2024. It could just mean that the teams above them in the standings — as of right now, those teams are Boston, Milwaukee, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia — stand pat, failing to make a significant upgrade to their rosters. With the recent injuries to Joel Embiid and Julius Randle, it's possible that the 76ers and Knicks, both whom were rumored to be among the buyers at the trade deadline, will instead opt to play it more conservatively. Cleveland has playing well as of late, but with Donovan Mitchell's uncertain future lingering over the Cavaliers, my guess is they won't do anything all that significant either.
The two best teams in the conference are Boston and Milwaukee — I should note that Indiana beat both the Celtics and the Bucks on their way to the In-Season Tournament Final — and in all likelihood, any roster upgrades for either of those two teams will come via the buyout market.
So that raises the question… what sort of deal should Indiana be looking to make?
Make One Reasonable Deal
Among the players who have been rumored to be available leading up to the trade deadline, the deal that makes the most sense for Indiana comes in the form of a reunion with former Indiana Pacer, Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic has been toiling away, averaging 20 points per game for a miserable Detroit Pistons team. The 34-year-old doesn't fit their timeline at all, and even though he's not a perfect fit in Indiana in that regard, bringing Bogdanovic in for the remainder of his two-year deal could be a nice get for the Pacers.
The salaries work for a hypothetical Buddy Hield for Bojan Bogdanovic deal, and for both sides, it seems to make sense. Indiana gets a bigger wing who, like Pascal Siakam, has legitimate postseason experience with Indiana, Washington and Utah. Additionally, Bogdanovic is shooting a career best 43% from three-point range, better than 31-year-old sharp-shooter Buddy Hield is this year. Why not add a little more firepower if you can?
From the Pistons perspective, Hield's expiring contract will come off the books at season's end. If the Pacers have to throw in a couple of 2nd round picks to sweeten the deal in order make it happen, so be it. This is a winning move.
On the other hand, if Indiana really wanted to be greedy, they have the assets at their disposal to at least have a conversation.
Swing for the Fences?
What if Indiana were to gauge Brooklyn's interest in a deal for Mikal Bridges? The Nets are in no-man's land, and they could get a bountiful haul for Bridges, the key piece that came back in the deal with the Suns that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
League sources have indicated that the Nets believe they could get as many as five first-round picks for Bridges. That's an absolutely insane price to pay for a guy who hasn't made an All-Star team. But just for poops and giggles, what if Indiana were to offer something along the lines of Buddy Hield's expiring contract, Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, an unprotected 2028 1st round pick, and a top-five protected 2030 1st round pick for Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith?
If you're Brooklyn, you have to at least take a meeting and think long and hard about whether the future of your team really includes Bridges, who is already 27 years old. And if you're Indiana, the thought of pairing Bridges with Haliburton and Siakam gives you a formidable Big Three that will be ready to engage in a lightning war in the postseason.
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