Injuries have defined the Indiana Pacers to this point in the NBA season, much like it has the last few seasons. After just four games into the year, breakout star T.J. Warren suffered a foot injury that required surgery and he has been out since. The Pacers also traded Victor Oladipo as part of the James Harden to Brooklyn trade and acquired Caris LeVert in the process.
LeVert is a great, young talent, but doctors discovered a small mass on his kidney during his physical examination after being traded and as a result, he has been out since being acquired by the Pacers. Both Warren and LeVert are expected to return during the second-half of the year for Indiana though, which is why they could end up being a strong team at the end of the year.
This team’s potential and their future success all hinders on when LeVert and Warren can return to the court, but until then, the Pacers may have to make a move at the NBA trade deadline to round out their roster. Both Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon have been great, but with some key bench players in Justin Holiday and Doug McDermott now being in the starting rotation, this team does not have much bench depth.
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At 16-19 and with the second-half of the season set to begin, the Pacers are currently on the outside of the playoff picture in the East looking in, which is why adding more bench depth and another reliable bench player could be very much in-play for Indiana.
With that said, let’s take a look at three under-the-radar trade targets that the Indiana Pacers would be smart to pursue ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
