Pacers Land $132M Star in Massive New Trade Proposal

Indiana could use some help.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are sorely in need of some major frontcourt help behind starting power forward Pascal Siakam and starting center Myles Turner, after losing both their backup center options, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, to non-contact Achilles tendon tears.

Jackson can also play as a power forward. It's likely that each player is done for the year, as even the sunniest of projects for such an injury is eight months, which would land their return right around the NBA Finals at the earliest.

That has put the onus on backup power forward Obi Toppin to produce. He did respond with an efficient 21-point scoring effort for Indiana on Friday (on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 shooting from distance, and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe), albeit in a 124-111 blowout loss that wasn't as close as that tally would even appear.

Yes, a Jackson/Wiseman replacement is needed.

But would Indiana be open to make a major shake-up at its center spot that would include its starter?

In a new piece, Jonah Kubicek of The Sporting News proposes a trade that would bring former No. 1 overall draft pick Deandre Ayton to Indiana, while ditching 3-and-D big man Myles Turner.

Turner is a more mobile defender than Ayton and a solid 3-point shooter, while the more plodding Ayton can't be trusted to consistently guard smaller players, but is a rebounding menace in a way Turner is not.

"The Pacers could match his $34 million salary by trading away Turner, Jarace Walker (who has fallen out of favor in the rotation) and Jackson," Kubicek writes. "By sending a young player to the Blazers, Indiana could avoid parting with any draft picks and could add a long-term solution to their frontcourt."

"Portland has plenty of centers that could step up. Clingan, Robert Williams III, Duop Reath and even Toumani Camara could use more minutes, increasing both their value and their production," Kubicek adds.

Camara, a 6-foot-8 combo forward, would probably see limited action at the five-spot, as Reath was out of the Trail Blazers' center rotation when all four of Ayton, Clingan Williams, and himself were healthy.

"While adding Ayton wouldn't put the Pacers over the top, it would solve an area of need that has been plaguing them since opening night, when Wiseman was ruled out for the season after playing only six minutes," Kubicek writes.

This essentially posits that Ayton is an upgrade over the nimbler, cheaper Turner. He is not. It's not a deal worth making for a team that could find other ways to improve its size.

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