The Indiana Pacers are in full rebuild mode. Owner Herb Simon has signed off on a plan to trade the team’s greatest stars.
Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert are arguably the best trade pieces the Pacers have to offer, and odds are they won’t be on the team too much longer. Despite a win over the Wizards on Monday night, the Pacers are 10-16 on the season, and headed in the wrong direction.
Simon, the longest-tenured owner in the league, is 87 years old. Despite holding on to a chance at glory in the Eastern Conference, Simon has signed off on a plan to rebuild the team. That starts with dealing away veteran stars for young assets and draft picks.
Pacers: Who could trade for Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner and Caris LeVert?
Sabonis and Turner are two-time All-Stars. As proven talents, they’ll have plenty of takers. LeVert is an injury risk but has proven himself a capable scorer, at the very least off the bench, when healthy.
The Warriors, 76ers and Blazers are three potential destinations for one of the three, and not based on any real reporting. Golden State could use a real rim presence, so Turner’s availability is intriguing. The 76ers need to find a way to trade Ben Simmons, eventually, so why not acquire another star in return?
Meanwhile, the Blazers would prefer to keep Damian Lillard happy, if possible, as it seems as though every offseason his name surfaces for the wrong reasons.
Per Shams Charania, the Pacers don’t necessarily want to tank, but they are in favor of retooling. The best way to do that is develop from within immediately, as there will be bumps in the road.