NBA Trade Rumors: Indiana Pacers could be landing spot for John Collins?

NBA Trade Rumors: The Indiana Pacers could emerge as a dark horse landing spot for John Collins, who is being shopped by the Atlanta Hawks.

Through the first third of the season, the Indiana Pacers are a team that has performed a tick better than expected. Part of that could be tallied to the coaching staff, part of that could be attributed to the team’s better-than-expected young core, and part of that could be due to still having Buddy Hield and Myles Turner on the roster.

Nevertheless, this is a team that perhaps is closer to contending for a playoff spot than initially believed. And that could perhaps change things for the team heading into the NBA Trade Deadline.

So much so that according to a recent report, the Pacers could emerge as a dark horse candidate to target John Collins, who is currently being shopped by the Atlanta Hawks, at the NBA Trade Deadline.

It’s a move that could change the trajectory of the Pacers and could help this team evolve into a realistic playoff contender for the remainder of the season.

John Collins would theoretically make sense for the Indiana Pacers

In a vacuum, there’s no question that John Collins would make a lot of sense for the Pacers. He’s young, a great offensive talent, and plays a position that Indiana could use some depth at (assuming they’re going to move forward with trading Myles Turner). And if Collins can get back to the player he was just a couple of seasons ago, he would be a great fit next to Haliburton and Mathurin.

However, there are things that make an all-out pursuit for Collins complicated for the Pacers. For one, his contract is expensive. Collins is due $75 million over the next three seasons (after this year). And two, his recent play has made him somewhat of an overrated player.

But if the Pacers believe that he would be a fit next to this young core and that they could somewhat resurrect his talent over the next couple of seasons, there’s no question that Indiana should attempt to make a move for Collins.

Collins’ trade value is at an all-time low and he’s a player the Pacers could get quite easily if they wanted. The question is, would it be the right move right now for the Pacers?