Indiana Pacers continue to prioritize long-term success on day of 2024 trade deadline even after Pascal Siakam deal

The Pacers made a few moves on trade deadline day

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam in January and then traded away Buddy Hield in February. Their roster is better now than it was one month ago, but those moves with seemingly opposing interests are the face of what the Pacers are thinking when it comes to team building.

Acquiring Siakam is a bet on the present and the future. Indiana, who sits in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference with the trade deadline in the rear-view mirror, clearly believes that they are ready to at least be a playoff contender. They aren't at the required talent level to win the Eastern Conference, but they are prepared to play games beyond the regular season.

"I've always admired his two-way ability," Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said of Siakam on Thursday. He acknowledged that the team had tried to acquire the two-time All-NBA forward prior to this season. "So far, he's been phenomenal for us."

Just over three weeks after making that trade and signaling an intent to be a better basketball team, the Pacers traded away Buddy Hield. They sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers in a three-team trade that netted them Doug McDermott and two second-round draft picks, including a good one in the upcoming 2024 draft.

From a value perspective, it's a fine-enough trade. Hield is on an expiring deal and wasn't going to reach a contract extension with the blue and gold. Free agency was coming, and the Pacers were going to lose a lot of leverage if they held onto the 31-year old guard.

It was a sale, though, and it will make the team worse this season. McDermott is a wonderful shooter, but he is a downgrade from Hield and is also a free agent at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. The veteran wing is extension eligible and could add two years to his contract before the end of the season, but he is a lesser player to Hield.

"Buddy is a player that contributes valuably to us on the court, in the locker room. But we're also in a situation where we've got to make some tough decisions. Building this team requires some tough decisions, and today was one of them," Buchanan said of the trade.

Complicating matters were Hield's desires. Gregg Doyel reported in the Indianapolis Star Friday morning that Hield asked to be traded, and AllPacers confirmed that fact with a league source. The Pacers filled that request.

Hield's role was shrinking. In three of his last seven games with Indiana, he played fewer than 20 minutes. In the only one of those outings that the Pacers were fully healthy, Hield had 11:37 of playing time. With Andrew Nembhard starting and Bennedict Mathurin rising, Hield's role was getting smaller. That, combined with unsuccessful contract talks before the season, put the 31-year old in a unique spot heading into an offseason in which he will become a free agent.

Trading away a player on an expiring contract almost always makes sense. Many teams, even good ones, did exactly that ahead of the trade deadline. Philadelphia sent away Danuel House and Patrick Beverley on top of their deal with Indiana. The Brooklyn Nets traded Royce O'Neale to the Phoenix Suns. Utah swapped Kelly Olynyk out in a deal that netted them a first-round pick, and that was after they moved Simone Fontecchio.

The trade deadline is a time for business, after all, and Indiana had some business to take care of. They are now a worse team for the rest of the 2023-24 campaign without Hield, but long term, Indiana thinks they will be better.

"We're always trying to look long-term with this team. Building this thing step-by-step," Buchanan said. That matches his messaging from back in September. "As a front office, you're looking toward 'what's the next step?'" he added later.

Long-term thinking is typically the right way of thinking for a team that isn't a title contender, and the Pacers did that on Thursday. They got a decent pick in a draft that they held poor equity in beforehand. They got a future pick and a player who will help this season and possibly beyond that in McDermott. That future value means something.

It's also a unique haul in a season in which the Pacers are 29-24 and have Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam playing at a high level. The blue and gold have been creative with high second-round draft picks before, and they could be again come June. But they will look different in their playoff push until that point.

"Obviously we're trying to maximize this season... we don't want to diminish that," Buchanan said. The front office had to do that while managing Hield's request. "The decision we made with Buddy was more for thinking a little bit down the road, but we also didn't want to hurt our team too much, and that's why taking Doug back we feel like replaces a lot of things Buddy brought from a shooting standpoint."

Later, he shared more similar thoughts. "Today was one of those decisions that feels like it wasn't helping the team now. But we're trying to look long term, and I can't emphasize that enough with this group."

Buchanan likes what the draft capital the team acquired can do for the franchise going forward. Beyond Hield, rotation-level players such as Steven Adams and O'Neale were acquired using multiple second-round selections this week. Perhaps Indiana could make a move like that in the near future with their new assets.

They also could simply make a pick. With the new second-round pick exception introduced in the recently-implemented Collective Bargaining Agreement, strong drafting in the early parts of the second round is valuable. Adding to the youth pipeline of a generally young team isn't an outrageous idea.

That's where things have been interesting for the Pacers all season. While they are trying to get better and reach the postseason, they are still a young group. Their rotation features Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Jalen Smith, Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, and Aaron Nesmith. That's six players who are all in their first four seasons in the NBA, and that list doesn't even contain third-year big man Isaiah Jackson (who plays often) and rookie Ben Sheppard (who has played more of late). Indiana is in the unique spot of being young and good, which allows them to chase long and short-term success at the same time.

McDermott can help them. Buchanan called him a terrific shooter — he's canned nearly 44% of his outside shots for the Spurs this season. "I think we knew when there was a possibility we might be losing the caliber of shooter we were losing in Buddy, your first instinct is 'can you replace it?'" the Pacers GM explained. That's why the team turned to McDermott, who played for Indiana from 2018-2021. He can help mitigate the loss of Hield and keep the team humming this season.

"Buddy's obviously a terrific player. He's meant a lot to our team," Buchanan added.

With Hield's desires putting Indiana in a unique spot, they continued on their mission that started when they acquired Haliburton back in February of 2022. Since then, the front office made long-term decisions while still trying to get better. They'll have to cash in and go for it eventually, especially after acquiring Siakam. But with Haliburton under contract through 2029, the future-based approach makes good sense.

There are some other important factors at play. Haliburton and Hield are close, and Haliburton admitted it was weird to play without his friend on Thursday. It was just the second time he's ever done so in the NBA.

The blue and gold had to consider that when making moves. "Not blind to their relationship. Very close guys, close friends. Play well together, we know that," Buchanan said of the Haliburton-Hield relationship. "[Haliburton] was aware of what we were planning to do. [Tyrese] wants to win. He's thinking long-term just like we are. He realizes there's some tough decisions along the way."

Indiana also waived two players they acquired in deals on Thursday in Cory Joseph and Furkan Korkmaz. Indiana wanted roster spots, and they chose to move on from Joseph, who they didn't need. "Some of it is trying to keep flexibility with our roster," Buchanan said of the team's waivers.

They instantly filled the opening with James Johnson, which AllPacers reported last night. As for Korkmaz, the Pacers opted to waive him to give him a chance to land somewhere with a better opportunity. That roster spot still remains open, with the Pacers looking at multiple options.

In that way, the blue and gold haven't wrapped up their moves just yet. They could still add someone else to the team. But in general, their big moves were all about trying to get better in the short and long term — a difficult task, yet one worth pursuing in the name of sustained success.

Three weeks ago, the Pacers didn't have Pascal Siakam or Doug McDermott. They had more first-round draft picks but a lower ceiling. Now, they are a better team. That matters. The big picture has been lost somewhat due to the time that passed between trades.

They tried to toe a line on Thursday, and it might pay off. That remains to be seen. But the Pacers were opportunistic and continued to think long-term on the day of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. Only time will tell how much that pays off, especially as they try to win this year.

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• Indiana Pacers agree to trade Buddy Hield to Philadelphia 76ers for multiple players and draft picks. CLICK HERE.
• Sources: Indiana Pacers agree to trade with San Antonio Spurs, will acquire Doug McDermott. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers new rotation keeps T.J. McConnell on the court, which was vital vs Houston Rockets. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers can't slow down Steph Curry in loss to Golden State Warriors. CLICK HERE.
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