Pacers Land Star Center, Scoring Guard in Massive New Trade Proposal

Matt Levine | 2 Hours Ago

Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are off to a lackluster start to the new NBA season, leading to some frustrations on the court. Indiana hasn't been able to find any form of consistency all year and it's seen them struggle to win games.

The team has lost multiple players in the frontcourt to season-ending injuries, creating depth issues early in the year. The Pacers have been tested already and the front office has been looking around the league for help.

A trade may not be coming down the line anytime soon but Indiana is expected to be active at the trade deadline in February. With the frontcourt as the main area of need for the Pacer, the team will have to be creative to get a deal done.

Almost every other team in the NBA will be looking for help up front so the Pacers will have competition. But in a new trade proposal, the Pacers land a star center to help shore things up while also grabbing a scoring guard to add more bench scoring to the mix.

In the deal, the Pacers would be trading with the Utah Jazz. Indiana would land center Walker Kessler and guard Jordan Clarkson

Utah would receive forward Obi Toppin, a 2025 first-round draft pick, and a 2030 first-round draft pick swap. Both sides could benefit greatly from this deal, making it a rare win-win.

Landing Kessler could help shore up the frontcourt for the Pacers and he would come relatively cheap. He is scheduled to make $2.3 million for this year and has emerged as one of the better defensive big men in the NBA.

For the year, Kessler is averaging 9.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game. He could improve the Pacers' frontcourt and has a club option for $4.8 million next year before he hits restricted free agency.

Playing alongside Myles Turner, Kessler could give Indiana a dynamic duo up front. While he doesn't space the floor, it could allow Turner to be more free and roam the court.

Clarkson would give the Pacers another scoring guard, adding to their overall depth. He can play guard positions but is more of a natural shooting guard.

The veteran guard is averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Indiana could get a massive boost from both players, making this trade proposal very interesting.

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