The Indiana Pacers are an organization that will do whatever it takes to remain competitive. They are not going to undergo a tear down at the NBA trade deadline in order to tank for a top draft pick. However, a move or two in order to better configure the roster could occur.
Outside of Paul George, who was selected No. 10 overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Pacers haven’t made a selection inside the top-10 since 1989 when they selected George McCloud out of Florida State No. 7 overall.
Domantas Sabonis has made the All-Star two for two consecutive years as he has made some major strides with his game. He has become even more efficient this season but has seemed to fall out of favor with new head coach, Rick Carlisle.
The ball isn’t being put in Sabonis’s hands nearly as much offensively, as a lot of the team’s offense ran through him at the high post in years past. This season those touches have been lessened and he is standing in the corner for 3-pointers, which isn’t a strength of his game.
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The lack of jump shooting consistency and general defensive uselessness that comes with Sabonis raises the question about whether the Pacers should trade I’m instead of Myles Turner. If that’s the choice they end up making, there would be plenty of teams that would take a chance on him.
Could one of them be the Portland Trail Blazers? Let’s take a look at this hypothetical trade that could land Domantas Sabonis in Portland.