Indiana Pacers pivot to asset acquisition mode after aggressive trade deadline plans don't materialize

The Pacers made a smaller move to improve their situation at the trade deadline, but they had bigger plans

The Indiana Pacers made one smaller move at the trade deadline. They acquired three players, three draft picks, and cash in a trade involving two other teams. Generally speaking, the Pacers used their available cap space to grab assets from other franchises.

It was smart business from the blue and gold, who are thinking long-term with any moves they make going forward. After all, the two stars of their core — Bennedict Mathurin and Tyrese Haliburton — are under 23 years old.

"We really wanted to... [use] our cap space the most efficient way we possibly could so we could get some more, we call it dry powder, or assets, or whatever," Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said on Friday. "We were able to get three second round picks with about $10.7 million in cap space. Those become very fungible. They're very powerful. You’re seeing [it] in the league right now."

In the end, Indiana acquired George Hill, Serge Ibaka, and Jordan Nwora as well as second round picks in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Ibaka has already been waived, but the Pacers grabbed two players who can provide them value this season as well as draft equity. In exchange, the blue and gold waived three players (Goga Bitadze, Terry Taylor, and James Johnson) and sent draft rights to the Brooklyn Nets.

Bitadze and Taylor could have been free agents in the summer, and Johnson is expected to return to the Pacers when he clears waivers tomorrow. By waiving them, Indiana still has to pay their contracts for the remainder of the season, but they still swapped out players who aren't a part of their future for pieces that can help the team get better down the road. It's a smaller move, but it's still good business.

"Our scouts really work hard in identifying players. We keep tracking them when they’re on their respective NBA teams. When there’s an opportunity to get them and pick up an asset, that’s a good thing for us," Pritchard explained. "We like doing those."

The Pacers did improve their long term outlook. But they did enter the trade deadline with bigger plans. They had visions of being more aggressive.

Indiana started the season 23-18. They were rolling at the halfway point. Haliburton was terrorizing teams, the Pacers kept winning, and their clutch play was terrific. The future looked incredibly bright for the blue and gold.

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That made some think their timeline could accelerate. They could go for it now and acquire talent. But Haliburton went down with an injury in the Pacers very next game, the Pacers went 1-9 across their next 10 outings. Pritchard admitted that the Pacers skid without their All-Star altered their trade deadline approach, but the team's revised timeline allowed them to enter the trade season with plans of aggression.

"I think there were two goals coming out of this trade deadline. One was to be super active to try to add to the young nucleus that we were looking at. There were a couple of players we wanted to be aggressive to go acquire. And we made those offers," Pritchard said. He wouldn't go into detail on who those players are since they are still on other teams. "Then, if that didn't work, we really wanted to pivot to the second part which is using our cap space the most efficient way we possibly could."

The Pacers were forced to pivot because, as Pritchard explained, it takes two to tango. The front office identified some players that would fit with Indiana's core going forward, and they had exploratory talks about those pieces prior to eventually making offers. But nothing materialized, and the Pacers instead used their cap space productively.

While the blue and gold didn't ultimately make a larger, aggressive move, the fact that they tried is noteworthy. It could signal that the team plans to take a similar approach in the summer toward acquiring stellar talent, and the organization has the cap space and assets to do it. Pritchard mentioned multiple times that the team has the pieces to make a trade down the line.

For example, the Pacers have five draft picks in the 2023 NBA draft and multiple selections in the 2024 and 2025 drafts. They also have great contracts, many young players, and cap space. They are well positioned to make a big move at some point in the future, if they are so inclined.

As for the next steps for the Pacers, they are all about development. The team is outside of the playoff picture now, and over two-thirds of the season has passed. Indiana will look to grow its young pieces and let the chips fall where they may in terms of wins and losses.

Pritchard noted that some veterans will be in the playing time mix going forward, but development will be important. "We want to be competitive in every game and try to win every game, but we want to develop," Pritchard said. "We want our young guys out there competing like crazy, learning, [and] getting better. And everybody says, 'you can’t develop and win'. It is tough. It’s challenging."

With more assets and little cap space sacrificed, the Pacers could be a big player in the 2023 offseason. They could have max cap space, a top-10 pick, and an All-Star to build around. That's a great place to be, even if the trade deadline that just passed only netted smaller assets.

It was a panic-filled trade deadline, with much of the action coming on the final day. But the Pacers got a little better now with the hopes that it will help them get a lot better later. Their aggressive plans fell short, but Indiana's 2023 deadline deal could be more about laying the groundwork, both in terms of conversations and asset accumulation, for strong moves in the future.

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• Why a contract extension made sense for the Indiana Pacers and Myles Turner. CLICK HERE.
• Full trade: Indiana Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka, three second-round picks, and cash for draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet. CLICK HERE.
• Source: Indiana Pacers to waive forward Terry Taylor. CLICK HERE.
• Daniel Theis debuted for the Indiana Pacers and showed how he can help the team. CLICK HERE.
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