The Indiana Pacers finished 34-38 during the 2020-21 NBA season and they made it to the play-in tournament, beating the Charlotte Hornets in their 9-seed versus 10-seed matchup, but then they got blasted for the fourth straight time, failing to make the playoffs. This past season was a complete mess for Indiana and for all of the wrong reasons.
Not only did T.J. Warren, their breakout star from the bubble last year, only made it 4 games before suffering a season-ending foot injury, but the injury bug did not stop with just Warren. Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and plenty of others all missed a significant amount of time this season, forcing Indiana to lose a handful of games they really should not have lost.
Injuries plagued the Indiana Pacers during the 2020-21 season, but so did the decision to hire Nate Bjorkgren as their head coach last offseason. Bjorkgren lasted just one year in Indiana not only because he lost the locker room, but because the Pacers players constantly were feuding with the entire coaching staff.
Bringing in former head coach Rick Carlisle to be their next head coach was a very smart move for the Pacers and if they can stay healthy, then this team actually has a chance to be decent. Will the Pacers look to keep their current roster though or will they look to rebuild? This organization has been to the playoffs five of the last six seasons, but they have not made it out of the first-round of the playoffs since 2014.
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If they look to rebuild, guys like Malcolm Brogdon, T.J. Warren and Myles Turner could all be available in trade talks, but so could All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes seems to think Sabonis could be available in trade talks and notes the Sacramento Kings as a possible destination for the 25-year-old big man.
Let’s take a look at Hughes’ proposed offseason trade between the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings that would send Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento to try and finally change their fortunes.
