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As Thursday's NBA Trade Deadline approaches, teams are being forced to answer very tough questions about themselves. Do they think their rosters are ready to contend in the playoffs? Are they just one piece away? Or are they ready to rebuild as mid-to-low playoff seeds? One team that doesn't seem to have a problem confronting the last question is the Indiana Pacers with Malcolm Brogdon.
The Pacers were recently noted as one team that is willing to completely blow up their roster for the right price. Malcolm Brogdon is the star of this potential fire sale, but he's not the only one. Fellow stars Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are also apparently being looked at, as well as the darling of last year's Orlando bubble, TJ Warren.
It's looking like the Pacers are ready to completely commit to a rebuild with these recent trade rumors. After all, only a year removed from being one of the most underrated teams in the NBA, the Pacers are now in a dogfight to even get into the playoffs this year. They are 2.5 games behind the 8th-seeded Boston Celtics. Currently, they are tied and behind the Chicago Bulls, who are only paying real money to Zach LaVine.
That said, Brogdon is one of the more underrated guards in the league, and on the right team could definitely play a Michael Conley-esque role. You'll never notice his stats or any sort of eye-popping athleticism, but Brogdon is a floor general a la Conley or Chris Paul, and could easily put a win-now contender over the hump. That said, these are the three teams that could use his leadership and services, for the right price of course.
Malcolm Brogdon Trade Destinations
3. Toronto Raptors
With rumors swirling around the Toronto Raptors as the playoffs get further and further away from them, the team is surprisingly poised to lose two out of its three staple floor generals. Norman Powell and his expiring guaranteed contract (player option in 2022), are reportedly being shopped around ahead of the trade deadline. If you don't think GM Masai Ujiri is heartless enough to try and get value from Raptors legend Kyle Lowry's expiring deal, you haven't been paying attention. This, after all, is the same GM that shipped franchise darling DeMar DeRozan without really telling him.
So, pending the departure of those two, Toronto will be in need of a no-nonsense distributor to hand the ball to Pascal Siakam and apparent second option OG Anunoby. VanVleet could do it, but he really is more of a bucket-getter than playmaker/defender.
Enter Brogdon. Not only is he wildly intelligent as a player, but he can become a key cog in an offense. His player profile is one of pure, tight, mechanical efficiency, and head coach Nick Nurse loves that.
Toronto has the pieces to theoretically make the money work as well if Indiana is down to play. Lowry is of course easy for Indiana to take if they are trying to clear cap space this offseason, as he is off the books after this season. If he's already dealt, they would be happy to take Norman Powell as a potential fit alongside Levert. Throw in Aron Baynes to make the money work, and the Pacers get a solid return on freeing up Brogdon's large salary.
2. Miami Heat
Miami is ready to win, the spotlight, and compete for a championship now — however you want to phrase it, this team is ready.
Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are two very dangerous and very cheap shooters that surround Jimmy Butler. Bam Adebayo is the real deal and right in his prime. In fact, the only heavy-rotation player that the Heat are missing is at point guard.
Don't be mistaken, Goran Dragic is the real deal. At age 34, the dragon is every bit of heart and vision and touch that the Heat love. However, with his age and injury history, the team can't afford for him to go down like he did this past summer. If he had been able to suit up, the Heat could have genuinely challenged the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2020 championship.
Brogdon solves all of those problems.
It should be noted that Miami is already thinking on similar lines, as they have already been linked to Toronto's available point guards. Lowry cited his desire to be traded to Miami if something was to ever go down, and you can bet Miami is one of the teams that are apparently interested in Norman Powell.
Brogdon, over the next few years, is a better option than both those players. He is actually in a similar mold style-wise as Lowry, Chris Paul, and Conley as comparisons. All four are absolute bulldogs and wildly intelligent on both sides of the floor. However, as the youngest of the group, Brogdon presents the highest upside.
With his contract, Miami will actually be able to build for the future as well, behind him, Adebayo, and Herro. It is more than likely that a trade like this would demand one or both of Duncan Robinson and Precious Achiuwa. It might be a tough pill to swallow, but one that Miami will definitely be willing to do if they were already considering going into business with Toronto.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
In a word, Patrick Beverley is overpaid. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently paying the 32-year-old almost $15 million over the next two years to be a glorified hype man to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
These Clippers, since the last offseason, have been looking for anyone who knows remotely how to distribute a basketball. Kawhi and PG are in rarefied are for their two-way play, but neither are true playmakers that elevate the level of talent around them. Malcolm Brogdon, it should be noted, does. He did it in Milwaukee, and he's currently doing it in Indiana to the point of being a borderline All-Star, and he can do it humbly on the way to giving LA's little brother their first title.
For a team that is famous for its public meltdowns and attention-grabbing trash talk, Brogdon is a brilliant palate cleanser. He is also much more of a threat offensively than Beverley is, and would instantly negate their need to overpay for one-dimensional gunslingers in Lou Williams and Nicolas Batum.
LA has the pieces to make this trade work as well, with plenty of draft capital to play with. To make the money work, Beverley's toughness for a blue-collar team like the Pacers, with Luke Kennard would make for great running mates beside Caris LeVert.
Malcolm Brogdon Adds Value To Any Contender
As a team that is currently treading water in the dead middle of the NBA, the Pacers are making a smart decision here, acknowledging their situation. In Malcolm Brogdon's case, he can bring quiet guidance, low-maintenance efficient play, and a winning attitude to any contender. There should be a number of teams are ready to vie for his services. We'll see if Indiana goes through with this proverbial “everything must go” liquidation going into Thursday's deadline, but expect the line for Brogdon to be out the door.
