Pacers Being Listed as Top Landing Spot For $30M Center
![Dec 2, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (L) chats with Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (R) before a basketball game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Dec 2, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (L) chats with Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (R) before a basketball game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4200,h_2362,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_pacers/01jjfnwrt5v76fxs267f.jpg)
The Indiana Pacers are one of the hottest teams as we surpass the halfway mark of the 2024-25 season.
The Pacers started the season as one of the more inconsistent teams in the league; however, over the last few weeks, they have turned the corner.
The Pacers have gone 15-5 in their last 20 games and currently hold the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. Indiana has turned things around, but it is clear that they need to make another move or two to seriously compete on the calendar flips to April.
Indiana wants to get back to where it was last season and beyond, and while its current roster has improved internally, it needs a tweak or two.
The Pacers are expected to make a move with less than two weeks till the trade deadline, and they have been linked to one of the top available centers in the league, Washington Wizards Jonas Valančiūnas.
Sam Vencenie of The Athletic listed the Pacers as one of the top landing spots for Valančiūnas.
"Any team that needs more depth on the interior could look to add Valančiūnas and receive help. I can't imagine the price point being more than a couple of second-rounders. If I were the Sixers, I would be calling the Wizards every day. No team needs an elite backup more than the Sixers, and Valančiūnas would be perfect for the role. Other teams like Indiana, Denver and the Lakers could use another big too."
The Pacers, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Los Angeles Lakers are listed as the veteran center's 'best fits'.
Valančiūnas signed a three-year $30 million deal this past offseason with the final year non-guaranteed.
It's a good deal for a backup center, a spot that he would serve with the Pacers and, frankly, any other solid team that could trade for him.
Valančiūnas has been healthy this season and solid in his role. In under 20 minutes per game, he is averaging 11.7 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 56 percent from the field.
The 32-year-old has been solid his entire career, and if the Pacers were to snag him, he would be solid behind the likes of Myles Turner.
Valančiūnas would be a physical force in the paint, while Turner provides the best of both worlds for the Pacers.
It's unclear if they would work on the court together, but the Pacers desperately need another big on their roster.
More Pacers: NBA Insider Reveals Indiana Could Be Willing to Trade Myles Turner
Pacers Predicted to Land $20M Center in Blockbuster Deal
For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.