Pacers Land $55M Wing in Blockbuster Trade Proposal With East Rival

Matt Levine | 2 Hours Ago

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have been one of the more inconsistent teams to open the new NBA season, in part due to injuries. Indiana has been hit hard with injuries in their frontcourt and along the wing position, leaving them a little bare.

They have already started to gauge the trade market for help and could be one of the more active teams in the NBA. Indiana will have to decide just how much they want to go all-in considering the chances of them winning now and keeping their future strong.

In a new proposed trade deal, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report proposed that the Pacers make a deal with the Brooklyn Nets to land a wing and big man. Indiana would be hitting two weaknesses with one trade here, giving some sense to the deal.

In the proposed deal, the Pacers would land forward Dorian Finney-Smith and center Day'Ron Sharpe from Brooklyn. The Nets would receive forwards Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker from Indiana.

Finney-Smith is scheduled to earn $14.9 million this season and has a player option for $15.3 million next year. While his salary could be a little high, Indiana would also be getting off the longer-term salary of Toppin in this trade.

The veteran wing could fit in perfectly with the Pacers, giving them more defensive help and 3-point shooting. So far this season, he is averaging 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Finney-Smith also has shot 34.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line. But playing alongside a strong passer like Tyrese Haliburton, Finney-Smith could see his numbers jump up.

The veteran would also bring some experience to the table, helping this fairly young Pacers team out. He has been in the league for years and could bring some wisdom to the table.

Indiana would also be getting a decent big man in Sharpe in the deal. With the team losing two centers for the year, Sharpe could slot in behind Myles Turner to help the Pacers with their front-court issues.

Sharpe has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury but was solid last season in limited time for the Nets. He put up 6.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game last year.

If anything, Indiana could bring in some help to give themselves a better chance of competing heavily come playoff time.

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