The Indiana Pacers have been one of the most surprising teams of the 2017-18 NBA season. As a result, they were one of the quietest teams at this year's trade deadline. That is not to say general manager Kevin Pritchard had no intentions of making a move, as he did his due diligence.
According to Clifton Brown of the IndyStar, he was convinced to do otherwise after a number of Pacers players told him to keep their current team intact:
“I had six players come up to me, and this has never happened to me as an executive, and say, ‘Keep this team together.' That carried a lot of weight with me.”
It is encouraging to see this type of confidence from a young Pacers team. Needless to say, there is a good reason for their optimism as they currently sit in the fifth spot of the Eastern Conference in a year where they were not expected to do much.
It goes without saying that their resurgence has been led by an unlikely All-Star in shooting guard Victor Oladipo.
He was traded to Indiana after a tumultuous start to his career.
Much like the Pacers, he was not expected to enjoy the kind of success he has had.
Fortunately, there has been some help along the way from a solid supporting cast thanks to their tremendous depth at the center position with Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, and Al Jefferson.
Regardless, Indiana is still nowhere close to getting into the championship discussion.
If the Pacers have any aspirations of making it to the NBA Finals in the foreseeable future, they will need to do their best to attract any star free agents that they can.
Fortunately, they have shown enough promise to build on their potential status as a playoff competitor.
Follow Us
Subscribe