Nets Should Trade for Young Pacers Guard

The Brooklyn Nets could upgrade their backcourt with Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin.

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-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets are trying to find ways to improve their roster, and they might be able to do so on the trade market.

Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus suggests that Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin would be a good fit for the Nets.

"As a rebuilding team, the Nets project to have more cap space than any other franchise next summer (perhaps $56 million). Look for Brooklyn to shop its veteran players aggressively for draft compensation and young athletes," Pincus writes. "The Nets would be another suitor for Bennedict Mathurin. While they may not be looking to move the athletic wing, the Pacers could view him as a luxury after he missed their playoff run with a shoulder injury, but it would take a lot for Indiana to give him up."

Mathurin, 22, averaged 14.5 points per game for the Pacers in 59 appearances last season. As the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Mathurin came into the league as a well-regarded prospect.

However, with the Pacers signing Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam to extensions, Mathurin's future with the team is in question. He has two years left before he hits restricted free agency, but he could eventually become a trade target for other teams.

The Nets would benefit from having another strong scorer in Mathurin next to Cam Thomas in the lineup, giving Brooklyn a two-headed scoring machine that would give opposing defenses fits.

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