Pacers Holding Firm on Not Trading Specific Rotation Player: Report

Ricardo Klein | Feb 2, 2025

Jan 12, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) celebrates with forward Jarace Walker (5) and forward Pascal Siakam (43) after a basket during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers would love to make some trades to bolster their roster as the highly anticipated Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches. 

More Pacers: Pacers Have Received 'Significant Offers' for Starter Ahead of Trade Deadline: Report

The Pacers have turned their season around after a slow and inconsistent start. As of Saturday, they were six games above .500 and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. 

While they would love to make changes to propel them into contender status in their conference, other teams are doing their best to poach some of the Pacers' top players.

Indiana has a ton of great assets on its team, and one of its more highly coveted players is forward Andrew Nembhard. 

Nembhard is a great player and has been great for the Pacers in such a short time. Although moving Nembhard could help avoid a tax issue next season, the plan is to keep him on the roster. 

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, The Pacers are holding firm on Nembhard. 

"Other teams have noticed, dialing up Indiana and making significant offers for the third-year guard who has become an essential contributor. But talks haven’t gone anywhere, according to league sources in contact with Indiana. The Pacers love Nembhard, are confident about the current roster and could break financial tradition next season, paying the luxury tax for the first time in two decades." 

The former 2022 second-round pick has defied the odds. Nembhard has established himself as a key player for Indiana, and his numbers and impact on the court prove that. 

In 30 games this season, Nembhard is averaging 10.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three in 29.4 minutes of action. 

The 25-year-old is only making $2 million this year, but that will increase to $18 million when his extension kicks in prior to the 2025-26 season. The Pacers could sell him now for a low-salaried player and create significant savings on next year’s payroll.

Because he was a second-round pick, he is not affected by the base-year compensation league in the collective bargaining agreement. 

Nonetheless, the Pacers are high on Nembhard and view him as a future piece to the team. That is unlikely to change in the coming days. 

While other teams may be high on him, it may take a lot for Indiana to even consider moving on from Nembhard. 

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