Pacers Land Frontcourt Help in Trade Proposal With East Rival

Indiana absolutely needs to bolster its depth after two costly injuries.

Oct 16, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin (4) shoots the ball as Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) defends in the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers absolutely need to bolster their frontcourt depth after two costly injuries.

Former No. 2 overall draft pick James Wiseman tore his Achilles tendon on a non-contact play just one game into his tenure with his new club, on a non-guaranteed veteran's minimum deal, and the once-promising center seems likely to be waived before the agreement can be fully guaranteed.

Power forward/center Isaiah Jackson later suffered the same injury, an Achilles tendon tear, and is also presumably absent for the rest of the year.

In a wide-open Eastern Conference (beyond the clear top two teams, the 10-3 reigning champion Boston Celtics and the 13-0 Cleveland Cavaliers), it behooves Indiana to bolster its big men on a club with deep playoff aspirations.

Accordingly, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report pitched an interesting move that would see the Pacers offloading some future draft equity in exchange for a high-upside young forward, 6-foot-7 Miami Heat combo forward Haywood Highsmith.

Indiana Pacers Receive: Haywood Highsmith (into non-taxpayer mid-level exception)

Miami Heat Receive: Utah's 2027 second-round pick, Dallas' 2028 second-round pick

In the offing, the Pacers wouldn't even be sacrificing a present player, but rather two future second round draft picks the club added from the Mavericks and Jazz in separate deals.

Highsmith went undrafted out of Wheeling University in 2018. Aside from a five-game cameo with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018-19, he has spent the vast majority of his NBA career with the Heat. Highsmith began his tenure on the roster as a two-way player, but eventually advanced to secure a standard roster spot. This year, he's averaging a career-best 7.9 ponts on .571/.364/.636 shooting splits, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per bout.

The big issue with a Heat deal: Highsmith is one of the few plus athletes on the aging team's current roster. Just two seasons removed from a 2023 NBA Finals berth, Miami has collapsed to earth this year. The team is just 4-6 on the year, good for the East's No. 9 seed, and it truly seems like the team's window as a legit contender has closed. Ditching Highsmith for draft equity could potentially represent an acknowledgement by team president Pat Riley that the club was rebuilding.

The Pacers aren't faring much better, at 5-6, but the club is anchored by a 24-year-old burgeoning superstar in Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton, and clearly is hoping to build on its Eastern Conference Finals run last spring. Highsmith could help make up for the absence of Jackson and Wiseman for the year.

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