Pacers May Trade Forward to Clear Up Logjam in Rotation: Report

Ricardo Klein | Dec 2, 2024

May 21, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) reacts with forward Obi Toppin (1) during the second half for game one of the eastern conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers may be among the few small-market teams looking to bolster their roster as the trade deadline approaches. Although it's still two months away, it's been too early to start thinking about who the Pacers could acquire or get rid of. 

A lot can happen in two months, but the Pacers need to make a move to get back to where they were last year: in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

As we sit in early December, the Pacers appear to be far from that team. However, they could be one trade or two to be a threat in their conference. 

While that could be the case, the Pacers could move to create space in their frontcourt. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says that the Pacers could move away from frontcourt pieces like Obi Toppin or Jarace Walker. 

"With forwards Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker, Indiana’s eighth overall pick of the 2023 draft, stuck behind Pascal Siakam on the depth chart, there’s a belief that Indiana could eventually part with one of the two." 

A potential loss of Toppin or Wlaker would be challenging, but it would depend on who or what they get back in return. 

Toppin is in his second year with the Pacers, and he has been solid for the team. This season alone, he averages 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.6 steals while shooting 53 percent from the field and 30 percent from three in 20 games. 

Toppin was traded from the New York Knicks to Indiana in the summer of 2023. The 6-foot-9 forward was the No. 8 pick in the 2020 draft after winning national Player of the Year honors at Dayton.

Toppin is a high-flyer in the first year of his four-year, $60 million contract, which he signed in late June. 

Walker is another piece that the Pacers could move as we approach the trade deadline. Walker is in his second year as a pro after the Washington Wizards drafted him with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. 

He was traded to the Pacers and is a solid contributor for them. This season, he has averaged 5.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 43 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. 

Walker and Toppin are names that could be on the move as we approach the ever-so-looming trade deadline. 

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