Does this trade make sense for the Indiana Pacers?

Trading Myles Turner does not make much sense at all, especially since he is leading the league in blocked shots and could potentially win Defensive Player of the Year, but adding Jaxson Hayes, Maxi Kleber and a first-round pick this season could definitely be of value to the Pacers. 

Hayes is a young center with a lot of potential due to his athletic abilities to play well above the rim and Kleberis a versatile stretch forward that can rebound and knock down shots from the perimeter, but the most value in this trade comes from the first-round draft pick they get. 

Indiana would be getting the Pelicans 2021 first-round pick in this deal with Top-5 protection on it, but the Pelicans are right on the cusp of being in the playoff picture in the Western Conference, so this pick should convey over to them, meaning that they would have two Top-20 picks in this year’s draft. 

With All-Star caliber talents in Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren already on their roster, adding two high-level, young prospects could set the Pacers up for a ton of success moving forward and give them plenty of depth. 

At full strength, the Pacers are a lock for the playoffs and they could be a tough team to beat in the Eastern Conference, which is why this trade actually makes a ton of sense for them. Losing Turner definitely hurts them defensively, but Jaxson Hayes has the potential to grow into a strong all-around center, Maxi Kleber is a great “3-and-D” power-forward and who knows what kind of talent the Pacers will find in the draft! 

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With not much cap space moving forward to improve their team, this trade gives the Pacers plenty of young talent to build with and compliment their current high-level players, which is why Myles Turner being moved this offseason is a very high possibility.