Hello all! It is back to be re-joining the world of Pacersdigest this summer.
Today I take a look at some potential trade targets for the Pacers this summer that I feel would be great fits, be affordable and at least somewhat realistic to acquire. Some of course, are more realistic than others! Mostly, I have tried to come up with low paid, younger guys who would fit in well with our current system and style of play, yet would have some upside for a big future playing alongside Paul George. I am not going to speculate on what it would take to get these particular players, instead I'll let you use your imaginations on how that could possibly happen.
These guys all I believe share the common trait of either being underpaid, or undervalued, with their current teams. I will put them in no particular order for the purposes of this piece, which is meant to be thought provoking and to get our creative juices flowing.
1. EVAN FOURNIER, DENVER
Fournier is a young and athletic guard from France. So far for the Nuggets he hasn't shown a lot, but I believe the potential is there for him to breakout this season. I think he has an upside of about 90% Bradley Beal if given a regular role and minutes as he matures. I love him and think he is attainable. While I said above that I won't speculate on how we could acquire people in this article, I do believe Brian Shaw would value some of our current players more than other teams would.
2. TY LAWSON, DENVER
Keeping with our Denver theme, I bring up Lawson, who we know Bird coveted when he came out in the draft. Does Lawson fit with Brian Shaw, who is known to prefer a more halfcourt game, and bigger more defensive minded guards? I am not sure if Lawson would truly be available or not, but I think discussions with Denver are worth pursuing.
3. TIMOFEY MOZGOV, DENVER
Our last Nugget, Mozgov has a big fan in our front office, the venerable Donnie Walsh signed him with the Knicks and is known to like him. He is more of an offensive center, so I wonder if Denver would prefer a more defensive oriented big man....Denver obviously matches up well with some of our needs, in my view.
4. DENNIS SCHROEDER, ATLANTA
I'm not sure what Atlanta is doing exactly, but with Teague being a young and dynamic point guard, it is hard to see how Schroeder will get a lot of time for the Hawks. If we got involved somehow with discussions with the Hawks, I'd try and pry Schroeder away from them.
5. AL HORFORD, ATLANTA
Again, the Hawks are a mystery to me. They did pretty well without Horford, who is expensive coming off an injury. Would he be available in some sort of sign and trade or mega deal somehow with multiple teams? I love Horford and always have, and think he could play alongside Hibbert or as his backup, which would save us roster space and make us a much more flexible type of team.....which I think we have to become.
6. MARQUIS TEAGUE, BROOKLYN
The Nets have no interest seemingly in developing a young guy, and money appears to be no object for them. Any deal with the Nets would end up involving other people, but I'd like to take a flyer on Teague, who basically did nothing with the Nets this year....but I like his upside and athleticism, and he is an Indianapolis native.
7. DION WAITERS, CLEVELAND
Cleveland is somewhat clueless, and that's the type of team you need to take advantage of. Waiters is explosive and talented, though he doesn't seem to get along with Kyrie Irving. Would they move Waiters for a veteran of some kind in a "win now" kind of move? We should explore talks just to see what they are thinking.
8. KANTAVIOUS CALDWELL POPE, DETROIT
Young guy obviously basically unproven. Now he is playing for man in Stan Van Gundy that didn't select him and has no attachment to him. Would they be willing to dump him for less than he is worth? I don't know, but I like his shooting ability and upside.
9. HARRISON BARNES, GOLDEN STATE
The Warriors are in search of a new direction, and Barnes might be a piece that doesn't quite fit for them. For us I think he could be a 3-4 swing man type guy, who could play minutes backing up both Paul George and David West. I like Barnes and think he could fit well here, as long as he continues to improve. I can see Golden State moving him for a more defensive minded back up big, which we happen to have.
10. DRAYMOND GREEN, GOLDEN STATE
Similar to Barnes I guess in his role, I like his game and intangibles. With a new coach in Steve Kerr, it is unclear to me how Green and Barnes will fit in there, but they seem somewhat duplicative to me. I wouldn't be shocked if one of them is made available.
11. ISAIAH CANAAN, HOUSTON
As the Rockets look to save cap space and make moves to try and add one more star, I wouldn't be shocked if Canaan would be made available for a non guaranteed draft pick or the rights to a foreign player the Rockets can stash. Canaan has no role in Houston with Beverly and Jeremy Lin being there currently, and I liked him in last year's draft.
12. REGGIE BULLOCK, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Clips are in ownership turmoil, so they may have troubles making a deal of any kind, but we should explore trying to steal Bullock from them, who will struggle to get time with Doc Rivers much preferring to play veterans. Bullock is a "3 and D" type that I think makes some sense for us at least stylistically. He is cheap, comes from a winning program, and is young.
13. MIKE CONLEY, MEMPHIS
I highly doubt that Conley is available, but we should at least check on him. Some sort of sign and trade would be the only way we could acquire him probably, but I doubt we have the resources to get him.....unless Randolph leaves them, then that might open up an avenue....we will see. Still, Conley is the type of player we need going forward, quick, more of a ball dominant point guard, and it helps that he is from Indianapolis.
14. JOHN HENSON, MILWAUKEE
Henson is skinny as a rail, but I like his potential upside as a more athletic 4 man, and we need to think about what type of guy we want after West is done here. Milwaukee is a garbage fire, and you never know what kinds of moves they want to make. Likely, Henson would be part of a bigger deal with the Bucks, but if we indeed make some sort of move with them then we need to insist on Henson, in my opinion.
15. J.J. BAREA, MINNESOTA
Barea would be a nice piece off our bench, and he has a championship pedigree. He can't be happy playing in Minnesota, and I think his play has reflected that. But put him on a contender and I think he can be factor again.
16. GORGUI DIENG, MINNESOTA
If I were the Timberwolves, Dieng would be my starting center, as I think he is an almost perfect fit next to Kevin Love....no way would I move Dieng. BUT, if they are pressured in to making some sort of move for veterans to appease Kevin Love and to make a push for the playoffs, I think Dieng would be available. If so, we should explore that. Dieng looked very very good to me last year when he actually got playing time.
17. AARON AFFLALO, ORLANDO
I would bet big money that Orlando moves Afflalo at some point in July. If they draft Dante Exum, then they could move Victor Oladipo to the 2 guard spot where he belongs....which is exactly what I think they'll do. I've been a huge fan of Afflalo forever, and if I had had my way a few years ago we would have acquired him from Detroit before Denver did. Afflalo could defend the opponents best wing some of the time at least, freeing up and saving the wear and tear on Paul George. I have no idea how to do it, but I'd target Afflalo in any sign and trade scenario involving Lance that may occur in early July.
18. MAURICE HARKLESS, ORLANDO
It is hard to see how Harkless fits in with the Magic, and he remains very raw. But I see a ton of potential that is untapped in him, and I love his athleticism and toughness. He is a big upside play, but I have no idea how Orlando values him.
19. C.J. MCCOLLUM, PORTLAND
If you want to see a team who would consider trading a young guy for someone over priced, it could be the deep pockets of Paul Allen and the Trailblazers. McCollum doesn't fit yet with the Blazers, who probably feel they need a veteran type to keep pushing them ahead in the ultra competitive west. I see McCollum as more of a combo guard than I like instead of a pure point guard, but he is very young, seems to be a guy who can score, would be cheap, and would seem to be a good fit in our current system.
20. ALEC BURKS, UTAH
I really liked Burks in the draft, but he hasn't quite been as good as I thought he would be playing in the dumpster fire that is Utah. The Jazz have a new staff that has no investment in him, and he would seem to lack the kind of deep perimeter shooting that that particular staff would covet. I think Burks could be had in a deal of some sort by someone, could it be Indiana?
21. OTTO PORTER, WASHINGTON
Porter did bubkis for the Wizards in his rookie year, being a major disappointment in D.C. With the Wizards having dreams of making a move in the East toward the elite level, would they dump Porter for a veteran or a song? I think they might.....I still believe in Porter's elite defensive length and potential, and playing in a strong culture in Indianapolis I think could help him. The Wizards have a need for backup point guard, so a potential match is there perhaps with us (along with many other teams admittedly).
As always, the above is just my opinion.
Tbird
Today I take a look at some potential trade targets for the Pacers this summer that I feel would be great fits, be affordable and at least somewhat realistic to acquire. Some of course, are more realistic than others! Mostly, I have tried to come up with low paid, younger guys who would fit in well with our current system and style of play, yet would have some upside for a big future playing alongside Paul George. I am not going to speculate on what it would take to get these particular players, instead I'll let you use your imaginations on how that could possibly happen.
These guys all I believe share the common trait of either being underpaid, or undervalued, with their current teams. I will put them in no particular order for the purposes of this piece, which is meant to be thought provoking and to get our creative juices flowing.
1. EVAN FOURNIER, DENVER
Fournier is a young and athletic guard from France. So far for the Nuggets he hasn't shown a lot, but I believe the potential is there for him to breakout this season. I think he has an upside of about 90% Bradley Beal if given a regular role and minutes as he matures. I love him and think he is attainable. While I said above that I won't speculate on how we could acquire people in this article, I do believe Brian Shaw would value some of our current players more than other teams would.
2. TY LAWSON, DENVER
Keeping with our Denver theme, I bring up Lawson, who we know Bird coveted when he came out in the draft. Does Lawson fit with Brian Shaw, who is known to prefer a more halfcourt game, and bigger more defensive minded guards? I am not sure if Lawson would truly be available or not, but I think discussions with Denver are worth pursuing.
3. TIMOFEY MOZGOV, DENVER
Our last Nugget, Mozgov has a big fan in our front office, the venerable Donnie Walsh signed him with the Knicks and is known to like him. He is more of an offensive center, so I wonder if Denver would prefer a more defensive oriented big man....Denver obviously matches up well with some of our needs, in my view.
4. DENNIS SCHROEDER, ATLANTA
I'm not sure what Atlanta is doing exactly, but with Teague being a young and dynamic point guard, it is hard to see how Schroeder will get a lot of time for the Hawks. If we got involved somehow with discussions with the Hawks, I'd try and pry Schroeder away from them.
5. AL HORFORD, ATLANTA
Again, the Hawks are a mystery to me. They did pretty well without Horford, who is expensive coming off an injury. Would he be available in some sort of sign and trade or mega deal somehow with multiple teams? I love Horford and always have, and think he could play alongside Hibbert or as his backup, which would save us roster space and make us a much more flexible type of team.....which I think we have to become.
6. MARQUIS TEAGUE, BROOKLYN
The Nets have no interest seemingly in developing a young guy, and money appears to be no object for them. Any deal with the Nets would end up involving other people, but I'd like to take a flyer on Teague, who basically did nothing with the Nets this year....but I like his upside and athleticism, and he is an Indianapolis native.
7. DION WAITERS, CLEVELAND
Cleveland is somewhat clueless, and that's the type of team you need to take advantage of. Waiters is explosive and talented, though he doesn't seem to get along with Kyrie Irving. Would they move Waiters for a veteran of some kind in a "win now" kind of move? We should explore talks just to see what they are thinking.
8. KANTAVIOUS CALDWELL POPE, DETROIT
Young guy obviously basically unproven. Now he is playing for man in Stan Van Gundy that didn't select him and has no attachment to him. Would they be willing to dump him for less than he is worth? I don't know, but I like his shooting ability and upside.
9. HARRISON BARNES, GOLDEN STATE
The Warriors are in search of a new direction, and Barnes might be a piece that doesn't quite fit for them. For us I think he could be a 3-4 swing man type guy, who could play minutes backing up both Paul George and David West. I like Barnes and think he could fit well here, as long as he continues to improve. I can see Golden State moving him for a more defensive minded back up big, which we happen to have.
10. DRAYMOND GREEN, GOLDEN STATE
Similar to Barnes I guess in his role, I like his game and intangibles. With a new coach in Steve Kerr, it is unclear to me how Green and Barnes will fit in there, but they seem somewhat duplicative to me. I wouldn't be shocked if one of them is made available.
11. ISAIAH CANAAN, HOUSTON
As the Rockets look to save cap space and make moves to try and add one more star, I wouldn't be shocked if Canaan would be made available for a non guaranteed draft pick or the rights to a foreign player the Rockets can stash. Canaan has no role in Houston with Beverly and Jeremy Lin being there currently, and I liked him in last year's draft.
12. REGGIE BULLOCK, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
The Clips are in ownership turmoil, so they may have troubles making a deal of any kind, but we should explore trying to steal Bullock from them, who will struggle to get time with Doc Rivers much preferring to play veterans. Bullock is a "3 and D" type that I think makes some sense for us at least stylistically. He is cheap, comes from a winning program, and is young.
13. MIKE CONLEY, MEMPHIS
I highly doubt that Conley is available, but we should at least check on him. Some sort of sign and trade would be the only way we could acquire him probably, but I doubt we have the resources to get him.....unless Randolph leaves them, then that might open up an avenue....we will see. Still, Conley is the type of player we need going forward, quick, more of a ball dominant point guard, and it helps that he is from Indianapolis.
14. JOHN HENSON, MILWAUKEE
Henson is skinny as a rail, but I like his potential upside as a more athletic 4 man, and we need to think about what type of guy we want after West is done here. Milwaukee is a garbage fire, and you never know what kinds of moves they want to make. Likely, Henson would be part of a bigger deal with the Bucks, but if we indeed make some sort of move with them then we need to insist on Henson, in my opinion.
15. J.J. BAREA, MINNESOTA
Barea would be a nice piece off our bench, and he has a championship pedigree. He can't be happy playing in Minnesota, and I think his play has reflected that. But put him on a contender and I think he can be factor again.
16. GORGUI DIENG, MINNESOTA
If I were the Timberwolves, Dieng would be my starting center, as I think he is an almost perfect fit next to Kevin Love....no way would I move Dieng. BUT, if they are pressured in to making some sort of move for veterans to appease Kevin Love and to make a push for the playoffs, I think Dieng would be available. If so, we should explore that. Dieng looked very very good to me last year when he actually got playing time.
17. AARON AFFLALO, ORLANDO
I would bet big money that Orlando moves Afflalo at some point in July. If they draft Dante Exum, then they could move Victor Oladipo to the 2 guard spot where he belongs....which is exactly what I think they'll do. I've been a huge fan of Afflalo forever, and if I had had my way a few years ago we would have acquired him from Detroit before Denver did. Afflalo could defend the opponents best wing some of the time at least, freeing up and saving the wear and tear on Paul George. I have no idea how to do it, but I'd target Afflalo in any sign and trade scenario involving Lance that may occur in early July.
18. MAURICE HARKLESS, ORLANDO
It is hard to see how Harkless fits in with the Magic, and he remains very raw. But I see a ton of potential that is untapped in him, and I love his athleticism and toughness. He is a big upside play, but I have no idea how Orlando values him.
19. C.J. MCCOLLUM, PORTLAND
If you want to see a team who would consider trading a young guy for someone over priced, it could be the deep pockets of Paul Allen and the Trailblazers. McCollum doesn't fit yet with the Blazers, who probably feel they need a veteran type to keep pushing them ahead in the ultra competitive west. I see McCollum as more of a combo guard than I like instead of a pure point guard, but he is very young, seems to be a guy who can score, would be cheap, and would seem to be a good fit in our current system.
20. ALEC BURKS, UTAH
I really liked Burks in the draft, but he hasn't quite been as good as I thought he would be playing in the dumpster fire that is Utah. The Jazz have a new staff that has no investment in him, and he would seem to lack the kind of deep perimeter shooting that that particular staff would covet. I think Burks could be had in a deal of some sort by someone, could it be Indiana?
21. OTTO PORTER, WASHINGTON
Porter did bubkis for the Wizards in his rookie year, being a major disappointment in D.C. With the Wizards having dreams of making a move in the East toward the elite level, would they dump Porter for a veteran or a song? I think they might.....I still believe in Porter's elite defensive length and potential, and playing in a strong culture in Indianapolis I think could help him. The Wizards have a need for backup point guard, so a potential match is there perhaps with us (along with many other teams admittedly).
As always, the above is just my opinion.
Tbird
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