Does this trade make sense for the Indiana Pacers?
Right now, there is a lot of unknown surrounding this Indiana Pacers team. At this point, they are definitely still in danger of missing the playoffs, especially with T.J. Warren being out for the year and both Brogdon and Sabonis dealing with injuries.
This team has been hit hard by the “injury bug” for years now and they just cannot seem to catch a break. Now is the worst time for them to be dealing with injuries, as they are just 1.5 games up on the Bulls for the 9-seed in the East and 3.5 games up on the Raptors. This team will likely make the playoffs, but Indiana could be facing yet another first-round exit in the postseason.
With plenty of high-level talent, the Pacers have underperformed for years, which is why management could look to make some big changes in the offseason. Honestly, nobody on this roster is untouchable and for the right price, the Pacers could be willing to field calls on virtually anybody.
It seems like a stretch for them to trade either Brogdon or Sabonis, but in this deal with the Pelicans, they do get a ton of value by moving Malcolm Brogdon. Eric Bledsoe can contribute immediately, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a rising, young talent and they also get a future first-round pick in this deal.
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There is really nothing not to like about this deal if you are a Pacers fan, other than the fact that they would be trading away Malcolm Brogdon. With all of the injuries the Pacers have had, Brogdon has stepped up into a much bigger role and has shown flashes of potentially being an All-Star talent, which is why giving him up would definitely be a difficult thing for this organization to do.
However, in a year or two, Alexander-Walker could be just as good as Brogdon and Eric Bledsoe could definitely impact the game for Indiana on both ends of the court. Changes will be coming to the Indiana Pacers, but the question that remains is if they will be looking to trade Malcolm Brogdon.
