Nets Could Trade for Pacers Youth

The Brooklyn Nets could target some of the younger Indiana Pacers in a trade.

Nov 25, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) celebrates a basket in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets should look to target players that are young that may not be getting as much playing time as they could, and the Indiana Pacers have a ton of those players.

The Pacers are fresh off a visit to the Eastern Conference Finals after acquiring Pascal Siakam in a big midseason trade. This is signaling the Pacers to get more experienced while they can try and sneak into this contender window.

This means that players like Jarace Walker and Bennedict Mathurin could be on the trade block.

"Walker is 20 years old with a sky-high ceiling on both ends, Mathurin is a walking bucket with defensive tools, and Jackson pairs pogo-stick bounce with a 7'2" wingspan," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley writes. "Tack on a pair of future unprotected firsts—from a non-destination franchise, mind you—and an early second, and perhaps this is the rebuilding kit that gets Brooklyn to bite."

Walker was the No. 8 overall pick from this past year's draft and struggled to find the floor in his rookie season, especially after Siakam came in and signed a long-term deal. Mathurin also wasn't part of the team's playoff run, but that's because he suffered a season-ending injury in early March.

If the Nets can find a way to get either player, they could be one step closer towards rebuilding the contender they desire.

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