Indiana Pacers
Trade deadline candidate: Buddy Hield
The Indiana Pacers have quietly assembled one of the better young cores in the Eastern Conference. And they could very much be primed to make quite the jump this season. Led by Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, it would be far from surprising if the Pacers made a strong push to finish as one of the top 6 teams in the standings during the regular season. At the very least, they’re going to play a factor in the Play-In Tournament.
But one player that could very well find himself on the trade block by the deadline is Buddy Hield, and there are several reasons for that. For one, he is entering the final year of his contract with the team. If there’s no guarantee that he’ll re-sign, it would be smart for Indiana to explore his trade value before the deadline. Secondly, if Bennedict Mathurin is ready to start, it could make Hield somewhat of a luxury.
In that case, it would make even more sense for the Pacers to trade Hield at the deadline. As the Pacers’ young core continues to develop, it’s only going to make some of their more veteran players expendable. And Hield could be the first example of that.