The Indiana Pacers could soon be taking a stick of dynamite to their roster.
Shams Charania and Bob Kravitz of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that the Pacers are moving towards a “substantial” rebuild and are expected to open up trade conversations around their top veterans. The Pacers are said to be receptive to trading guard Caris LeVert and either forward Domantas Sabonis or center Myles Turner. The report adds that 87-year-old owner Herb Simon, who has always demanded that the Pacers put out the best possible product on the floor, is now onboard with the idea of a rebuild.
All three trade candidates are dynamic players with the ability to put a contending team over the top. LeVert is a do-it-all wing with 20-point-per-game upside. Sabonis is a sort of Nikola Jokic Lite who has made back-to-back All-Star teams. Turner is a game-changing center who is one of the NBA’s perennial leaders in blocked shots and can also shoot close to 40 percent from three.
While Indiana just hired veteran coach Rick Carlisle, they are quickly fading into irrelevance at 10-16 in a very good Eastern Conference. The team did not make the playoffs last season after five straight first-round exits before that. After then failing to land one big-name star this past offseason, all the tea leaves now appear to be pointing the Pacers in the direction of hitting the hard reset button.
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