One key factor in this quiet NBA trade market in mid-January is the league’s lack of obvious sellers. Among the 30 clubs of the association, 23 clubs have clear intentions to compete for the postseason, as opposed to trading established players for draft capital and/or prospects. Also, the 12-33 Detroit Pistons maintained executives’ preference to keep Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, sources said, outstanding returns for either veteran perimeter scorer.
Indiana’s surprising success has done no favors for hopeful buyers around the league, both in terms of filling a coveted East playoff spot and perhaps eliminating another expected seller from the board. At the beginning of this season, Indiana expected to fight for a top-five pick in this June draft, with the organization sending 12 employees to Las Vegas in October to scout Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. Today, the Pacers are 23-19 and sixth in the current playoff standings.
There’s actually a growing sense among rival teams that Indiana is looking for upgrades before the Feb. 9 trade deadline, but with an eye toward players who fit the Pacers’ long-term vision. This isn’t a potential Jae Crowder suitor or a playoff contender trying to pry Bogdanovic from Detroit.
Indiana has been looking for a power forward for several seasons, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and that position appears to be the logical place for an upgrade alongside center Myles Turner, who flourished this season with point guard Tyrese Haliburton. The status of Haliburton’s knee injury sustained during Wednesday’s loss at New York could certainly affect Indiana’s deadline decision.
The Pacers highly valued Keegan Murray in last year’s draft, sources said, before he was selected fourth by Sacramento, and Indiana lucked out with stellar rookie shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin at the sixth selection. All of Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson and Aaron Nesmith have since passed on their opportunities alongside Turner at forward this season. Nesmith’s strong performance from that starting position has yielded encouraging results, and the Vanderbilt product appears to be in line to hold that role at least until Indiana finds more ammunition at power forward.
Myles Turner remains an important factor in the direction of the Pacers’ future. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Should Indiana decide to add this developmental core, the Pacers will have three first-round picks in the upcoming draft. Indiana has its own pick, plus projected late-opening-round selections coming from Cleveland (via last year’s deadline deal of Caris LeVert) and Boston (via last July’s trade of Malcom Brogdon to the Celtics). And while the Pacers had marked second-year guard Chris Duarte off-limits in trade talks with some opposing personnel, several front office figures told Yahoo Sports that Indiana has made the 25-year-old available in recent dialogue.
Would a combination of Duarte and draft capital be enough to satisfy Atlanta’s desired value in return for John Collins? Indiana has internally discussed the prospect of adding Collins, sources told Yahoo Sports.
In the offseason, the Hawks pitched a similar concept from Collins to New Orleans for Trey Murphy in first-round draft compensation, sources said, although Duarte’s current league-wide value appears to be lower than Murphy’s. At this point, the Pacers don’t need to match Collins’ salary if they take him in cap space.
And if the Pacers are looking to send significant draft capital to a forward, could they even set their sights on the Raptors targeting former Hoosier OG Anunoby? PJ Washington would present another, more cost-effective acquisition at this year’s deadline before the Hornets forward reaches free agency this offseason.
We’ll learn more about Indiana’s accelerated timeline from the results of the Pacers’ latest contract discussions with Turner. Indiana and Turner’s new representatives at CAA are in ongoing extension talks, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. The maximum Indiana can offer Turner in a simple extension would be $96.7 million over four seasons, and that’s really the early range for Turner talks that have been going around the league.
Turner, however, is in line for a much richer salary if he and the Pacers can renegotiate and extend his contract, thanks to the team’s $27 million in outstanding cap space, should they not receive a substantial salary like that of Collins first. With that much flexibility, the Pacers can raise Turner’s $18 million salary this season to his maximum of about $37.1 million at seven years of service, and then the team has the ability to drop his 2023-2024 salary as low as $22.3 million to fall. Indiana will have to spend in a capacity because it is about $15 million below the league’s $111 million payroll, and the team would be required to distribute that amount in even increments throughout the roster if the payroll doesn’t close at the end of the year reached. .
The significant payday turner looking for could completely fill this gap. He can renegotiate and extend to upwards of $180 million over four years, according to cap calculations provided to Yahoo Sports, with the Pacers’ recent four-year, $133 million offer sheet to Deandre Ayton, an obvious benchmark that any agent and the negotiation would use. Turner has expressed a desire to reach unrestricted free agency in the past, sources said, but he also would welcome a long-term future in Indiana now that he has emerged as the franchise’s focal point in the frontcourt. The sides have until March 1 to agree to new terms, which will then make Turner ineligible for treatment for six months.
The trading shade around Turner looked really cool. For years, the Hornets presented a possible landing spot. But now Charlotte doesn’t seem very keen on updating her list before the deadline. Interest from Dallas and New Orleans in recent seasons has also dissipated, sources said. And the Lakers seem content to wait for a bigger return for their 2027 and 2029 first-rounders than the potential acquisition of Turner and Buddy Hield that was discussed before the season.
When Turner’s contract talks ultimately stalled, New York and Toronto registered interest in recent transaction cycles, sources said. The Knicks retain a trove of first-round draft capital to spend, although the recent performance of Mitchell Robinson has everyone in New York’s attempts to modernize its frontcourt. The Clippers remain legitimate suitors for Turner as well, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Indiana’s most traded center is fourth-year big man Goga Bitadze. If an opportunity arises, the Pacers would be willing to work in tandem with Bitadze’s representation to find him a new team, sources said, especially with Daniel Theis on track to return in the coming weeks. Bitadze has seen limited playing time and is not interested in joining Indiana’s G League outfit in Fort Wayne.
Will the Jazz be active in the market?
After Utah’s early season success, league personnel expect the Jazz to introduce another seller at the trade deadline. Utah has received many incoming calls on Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, sources told Yahoo Sports, with the Jazz’s perceived valuation of a first-round pick for each player. Perhaps Vanderbilt is another young forward the Pacers believe has enough upside to grow alongside Turner.
The Jazz and Hawks discussed a deal around John Collins for Beasley and Vanderbilt, sources said, although Utah lobbied Atlanta for a first-round pick in addition to Collins to round out that squad. See the article : California bans state-funded travel to Indiana over transgender sports law.
Jordan Clarkson is not considered a trade candidate at this point because Utah wants to keep the veteran scorer beyond this season, sources said. The Jazz, however, are prohibited by CBA rules from offering Clarkson a contract extension in his desired range of $20 million in average value, and Clarkson appears set to reach unrestricted free agency.
How can the Suns move Jae Crowder?
A three-team squad continues to be the most likely avenue for Jae Crowder’s eventual exit from Phoenix. For the Suns to land a desired target such as Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels, Phoenix could try to draw in Milwaukee, for example, because the Bucks consistently discussed Grayson Allen with rival teams. McDaniels, however, is considered a favorite of Charlotte general manager Mitch Kupchak, sources said, and it will likely require more return than Allen and second-round capital Milwaukee can handle to land McDaniels from the Hornets.
The sun also left the opposing front offices with the impression that Phoenix is looking for more guard depth, targeted ball handlers who could function as reserves to Chris Paul and long-term replacements for the future Hall of Fame floor in general. See the article : The military announces the winners of the prestigious 2022 competition awards.
Kyle Kuzma’s future
Washington is another team that has expressed interest in Collins. See the article : 45 Thoughts on Tom Brady’s 45th birthday. But Wizards officials noted that the franchise intends to keep Kyle Kuzma — a known Hawks target — past the trade deadline and hopes to re-sign the high-scoring forward this offseason after picking up the 2023-24 player option in his Contract refused. expected.
76ers looking ahead
Philadelphia will be active in exploring ways to add to its quest for a championship, especially after the team’s recent 15-3 streak. Philadelphia officials were encouraged by the pair of Joel Embiid and James Harden, as well as the overall performance of the team, despite all-star, Tyrese Maxey and other employees missing significant time due to injury.
There’s also a financial aspect that could undercut the Sixers’ trade deadline efforts if the right upgrades don’t materialize. This season currently marks Philadelphia’s third straight year as a taxpayer, which would subject the Sixers to paying repeater tax rates on every dollar over the 2023-24 tax threshold. The Sixers are now hovering just over this year’s tax line, which could put players like Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle and Jaden Springer in the trade conversation.
Richaun Holmes available
Richaun Holmes is available for trade, league sources told Yahoo Sports. After signing a four-year, $46 million deal in the 2021 offseason, Holmes was not part of head coach Mike Brown’s rotation this season.
