NBA Trade Rumors: The Indiana Pacers will look to make a big splash at the 2023 NBA Draft.
At roughly the midway point of the 2022-23 NBA season, the Indiana Pacers were 23-18 and sitting as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. With how the team was playing at the time, you’d have to assume they’d at the very least finish as a Play-In Tournament team in the East. However, the last few months of the season didn’t pan out that way.
The Pacers closed the season with a 12-29. They would finish with the fifth-worst record in the East, ranked 11th overall, and after the NBA Draft Lottery, the Pacers will be picking No. 7 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
However, there are rumblings that the Pacers may not end up making that selection. Or at least, that’s at least an option that could be on the table for the team heading into the NBA Draft. According to a recent report, the Pacers have been named as a team that could end up shopping their first-round picks in an attempt to land a veteran talent.
Interstingly, the Pacers have three first-round picks in this year’s NBA Draft that they could shop. Heading into the NBA Draft, the Pacers own the rights of the No. 7 pick, the No. 26 pick (via Cleveland Cavaliers), and No. 29 pick (via Boston Celtics).
Which star player could the Indiana Pacers target at the NBA Draft?
It’s difficult to predict what star player that the Pacers could be targeting ahead of the NBA Draft but one that would make sense on several levels, who could also be on the trade block this offseason, is OG Anunoby.
The Pacers were reportedly interested in Anunoby at the NBA Trade Deadline and it would make sense if that interest carried into the offseaosn, especially if the Toronto Raptors are open to such a deal.
Depending on how much of a retool the Raptors would be open to, the No. 7 overall pick and perhaps one of the team’s other two first-round picks could be of intersting for them. And there’s no question that Anunoby could be a great addition for the Pacers.
He could be the veteran star that the team needs in order to take a tangible step forward in the East next season. That said, there are multiple things at play here.
For one, would the Pacers view Anunoby as being worth two of their three first-round picks? Second, would the Raptors even feel as if that offer is enough? Third, is there a middle ground that both teams are willing to work toward if the answer to both those questions are no?
The Pacers are one of the most intersting teams heading into the NBA Draft as they have three first-round picks available. You’d have to imagine that they won’t be making all three of those selections on draft night.