Recently, the Indiana Pacers witnessed their star shooting-guard in Victor Oladipo suffer a gruesome knee injury. Oladipo would be carted off the court by the medical staff. The franchise would then announce he would need season-ending knee surgery, per Pacers.com.
At the end of the 2017-18 season, Indiana found themselves occupying the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference at 48-34. The Indiana Pacers started the playoffs on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers fought hard and forced a game seven against a LeBron James led Cavaliers team. Despite a first-round exit, Indiana made a statement and let the basketball world know that they are on the rise.
This season the young team hit the ground running and picked up from where they left off last season. Right now, Indiana is second in the Central Division at 32-18. If the playoffs started today the Pacers would hold the fourth seed and take on the Boston Celtics.
Sadly, the Pacers have 32 games remaining in their regular season. Due to the level of play outside of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference, it's safe to say that Indiana will make the playoffs. However, the team will face a roadblock once they advance to the postseason.
Although IND will most likely make the playoffs they will be without their star player. With the NBA trade deadline (Feb 7th) vastly approaching the team needs to consider making a trade. Most teams utilize the deadline to orchestrate the ultimate deal before entering the second half of the season.
Indiana's roster is filled with young talent, but there are a couple of positions that need to be upgraded from a talent perspective. Regardless of the Pacers current standing, the front office needs to trade Cory Joseph for three reasons.
Clear The Backup Point-Guard Carousel
Currently, the Indiana Pacers roster includes three backup point guards in Joseph, Darren Collison and Aaron Holiday. No disrespect to Collinson, who is a respected veteran guard but his numbers aren't exactly mind-blowing.
Today's NBA is a guard-heavy league and in order to win your backcourt needs to produce. Since Oladipo is out for the remainder of the season the franchise needs to upgrade at the point or shooting guard position.
Including Joseph in a trade will help the team free some space in an overcrowded backcourt. Obviously, the team will need to include more than Joseph in a trade if they plan on acquiring a mid or high-level talent.
Joseph is a savvy point guard who can help any team run an offense, control the tempo or space the floor. Not to mention he is an NBA Champion (2014) and is battle tested. Even if the Pacers do not receive a lot of inquiries on the 27-year-old guard there is a possibility that they can obtain a draft pick in the trade.
Both Joesph and Collison are scheduled to become free agents this summer. If the Pacers allow both players to walk they will only have one point guard on the active roster (Holiday).
The Pacers front office needs to move Joseph before the trade deadline so they won't come up empty-handed come free agency. The main goal for Indiana is to secure a mid or high-level talent who is under contract for at least two or three years (cough John Wall or Mike Conley Jr.).
Clearly, any trade with Joseph will include Collison and another piece or two. The Pacers need to trade Joseph in order to create a package for a high caliber point guard.
The Price is Right
To no one's surprise, Indiana is not competing for the Larry O'Brien trophy this season but trading Joseph and a few more pieces may move the needle further for next season. When it comes to the trade deadline anything can happen for just the right price.
In addition to the right price, teams that are tanking are always looking to take on an expiring contract. As of now, there are a couple of teams that may be looking to move on from their star players. Oladipo will probably return to the court late next season.
In the meantime, Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan can use this time to find Oladipo's Batman or Robin. Unfortunately, Indianapolis is a hard city to sell to free agents (ask Paul George). The next option for the franchise is to trade for a player who is locked into a lengthy contract.
The Detriot Pistons traded for Blake Griffin last January in order to acquire a superstar due to their low morale and other factors. Similar to the Pacers the Pistons struggled to attract players in free agency.
Insert John Wall:
Two players that the Pacers should target are Wall and Conley. Trading for Wall may be a risk considering the fact that he underwent season-ending surgery on his left heel and his expensive contract. Needless to say, this trade may work for both sides considering how great Bradley Beal is playing.
As a result of Beal's high level of play with Wall out and the improvement of Tomas Satoransky, the Washington Wizards may have to consider trading their star point guard. In order for this trade to work the Pacers would need to include Joseph.
Joseph can help the Wizards in many facets. Regardless of what critics or fans may say both Wall and Beal overshadow one another. But the Wizards will be able to build a team around Beal more so than Wall. Joseph can fill the starting role or come off the bench.
The 27-year-old can space the floor (unlike wall), get others involved and complement Beal. Oh yeah, signing him to a one-year deal won't cost much. Wall averaged 20.7 points, 8.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds in the 32 games that he played in this season.
Wall is a major upgrade at point guard and will flourish under Pacers head coach Nate McMillan and his motion offense. Not to mention the Pacers (37.1) are shooting a higher three-point percentage than the Wizards (34.5) which means more floor spacing.
Insert Mike Conley:
Another player that can be an instant help for the Pacers this season and in the immediate future is Colney. The 31-year-old guard is currently averaging 20.2 points, 6.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 35.5 percent from three.
Although Wall is a better player than Conley the Ohio State product is a better shooter from long range. Not to mention he is a better fit in the backcourt with Oladpio who can play on or off the ball.
The 2007 draft pick will be able to adjust to the Pacers system that includes constant motion and high screens at the top. Right now, Conley is used to playing high low with Marc Gasol. Granted the Memphis Grizzlies have had years of success with punishing teams on the block. But times have changed and teams are adapting to the small ball lineups forcing big men to guard inside and out.
This trade will provide difficulty because the Grizzlies will want way more than Joseph and two other players. Nonetheless, the Pacers front office needs to figure it out. Including Joseph in the trade will allow the Grizzlies to obtain a solid point guard in the mix. If these trades do not pan out the Pacers need to start developing Holiday.
Developing The Next Holiday
With the 23rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers selected Aaron Holiday. Aaron is the third Holiday (Jrue, Justin) in the league as he followed in his brother's footsteps.
Throughout the season the young guard continues to take advantage of the minutes thrown his way. Right now, he is averaging 10.9 minutes per game. The Pacers should trade CJ so that they can develop and provide more minutes for their young guard in Holiday.
Holiday plays with grit, physicality and speed. The young guard obviously needs to work on expanding his shooting range but that will come with time. On the flip side, the 6-foot-1 guard only shoots 2.6 three-pointers per game which isn't a lot.
Both Collinson and Joseph can provide the young guard with advice and wisdom but the reality is that he needs to learn on his own. Trading CJ will force Holiday to embrace a new role and grow on the fly. Another facet to consider is that Holiday could become a breakout player for Indiana.
Granted this may take time but the Pacers have plenty of it. Currently, the UCLA product is averaging 5.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Seven times this year Holiday has scored double digits when playing more than 10.9 minutes a game. There may be a new Holiday in town.
Joseph is a solid point-guard and can contribute to any team that he is on. However, the Pacers may need to part ways with him in order to obtain more talent or draft picks.
All stats for this article are from stats.nba.com.
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