The Pacers have been rumored to have interest in trading for a wing this offseason and now some targets have been reported, headlined by Tobias Harris.
It’s no secret that the Indiana Pacers are in the trade market to upgrade their wings. But now we have a better idea has to who they might be targeting, perhaps with the No. 7 overall pick or one of their two other first-round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN in his latest mock draft, the Pacers have a list of trade targets that includes Tobias Harris, Dorian Finney-Smith and De’Andre Hunter.
Given the small market Indiana is in while also not having a ton of success recently, the trade route is their best option.
NBA Rumors: Pacers have 3 trade targets including Tobias Harris
Harris is an interesting addition to this list. Likely the only way he’ll be available is if the 76ers lose James Harden in free agency as his well-documented saga has already begun. If Philadelphia loses Harden, though, they might be interested in dumping salary or shifting assets to build differently around Joel Embiid. Harris does only have two years left on his deal, though, so it’s a possibility.
As for Hunter, the Hawks are in a weird state of their build and could go in a number of directions this offseason. He did sign an extension months ago, but Atlanta has not been shy about working the trade market. For instance, they’ve reportedly fielded calls on Dejounte Murray after trading multiple picks for him last offseason.
Finney-Smith, meanwhile, is a high-quality option for the Pacers. Brooklyn is looking for more felxibility and, while Smith is a solid wing, the Nets’ best course of action in perhaps a pursuit of Damian Lillard could be picking up more draft capital.
The first year of the Pacers rebuild turned out better than expected. Tyrese Haliburton showed All-NBA potential in just his third season in the league. Bennedict Mathurin is a starting level player after his rookie season with room to be even better. Buddy Hield and Myles Turner are quality starters too.
With that mix, the need for a 3-and-D wing is clear. In addition to Harris, Hunter and Finney-Smith, the Pacers have also been connected to O.G. Anunoby. In any case, though, it’s clear that Indiana is going to leave no stone unturned to upgrade on the wing this offseason.