Recently, trade rumors have been swirling around the Indiana Pacers, particularly regarding wing Bennedict Mathurin, who has been up and down so far in 2025-26. Mathurin has stepped into a much bigger role after the injury to Tyrese Haliburton, and there are plenty of teams around the league, including the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans, who reportedly have interest in his services.
Recently, Mathurin himself spoke on his mentality as the trade deadline approaches.
“I could go two ways about it,” Mathurin said, per Hoopshype, via Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “I can be stressed and worried about it and everything. But I just feel like stress only comes from when you're not ready for situations. For me it's pretty much just, keep my head down and keep working. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I'm here to work.”
It's certainly a good attitude to have amid the uncertainty of an NBA trade season that has thus far been uneventful in 2026 but has been known to heat up in a hurry.
Mathurin's consistency has been a problem at times this year, but when he's at his best, he fits the archetype of player that most every team is currently looking for, able to switch at ease on defense, knock down open shots, and put the ball on the floor and create on occasion, allowing him to slot into the positionless basketball movement that the league is currently entering.
Meanwhile, the Pacers as a whole have been toward the bottom of the standings all year, but the prospect of adding a top draft pick to go alongside Haliburton when he returns next year is certainly intriguing, and it's possible that said player could fill the void left by Mathurin if he were to be moved.
In any case, the NBA trade deadline is set for Thursday afternoon.
