Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an overall great team this year and they have been led by the potential All-Star duo in Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis. With TJ Warren being out since Dec. 29 and Caris LeVert being out indefinitely after having kidney surgery, both Brogdon and Sabonis have really stepped up and elevated this Pacers team.
The only problem with Indiana though is that their frontcourt is a mess. Outside of Sabonis and Myles Turner, this team has really struggled to find production as they have utilized McDermott more as a wing player than a true frontcourt threat. As a result, trading for Kevon Looney could be a great addition for this team and provide some much needed depth at the center position.
With the Warriors over the years, Kevon Looney has been an anchor for them defensively and while he is not the biggest center, he is very physical guarding on the perimeter and in the low-post. Indiana is currently a Top-15 defensive team in the league, which is why they could benefit from adding another solid defensive player in their frontcourt.
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Jordan Poole is also an interesting name who could be an intriguing prospect for the Pacers. Poole is in his second season in the league and has been a solid bench player. In 57 games last season, the rookie averaged 8.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and shot 33.3% from the floor. He struggled shooting the ball last season and this year, he has not played much and has spent a lot of time with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League.
He could fit in nicely next to Malcolm Brogdon on a team that does not have much depth in their backcourt and is in need of some young talent on the wing and at shooting guard. You can never have too many perimeter threats anymore and Poole could develop into a very solid shooter.
Trading McDermott could definitely hurt the Pacers offense, but with TJ Warren expected to be back within the next few weeks and Caris LeVert possibly coming back before the end of the season, the Pacers could make up for their loss of production on offense and get even better defensively.
