Pacers in the Mix to Land Veteran Wing From East Contender

The Pacers could be in the mix to get a player who can help the bench.

Oct 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) looks to shoot the ball against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) and center Jericho Sims (20) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are one of the many teams in the Eastern Conference that are expected to make a move at the trade deadline. They are one of the many teams bunched up in the middle of the standings.

Indiana just had their six-game winning streak snapped by the Cleveland Cavaliers. This comes just a couple of days after they took down the Cavs in Cleveland.

Of course, the Pacers didn't have Tyrese Haliburton available for the game on Tuesday. Had he been able to play the whole game, things might have been different.

Read more: Pacers’ Rick Carlisle Updates Tyrese Haliburton Injury Status vs Cavaliers

In any case, the Pacers still need to make a move at the trade deadline to help the depth of the team. Indiana has suffered a lot of injuries this season.

Indiana has lost two centers for the season. They also have a small forward who hasn't played since November. They need more good players.

For those reasons, the Pacers have been listed as one of the favorites to land Jericho Sims from the Knicks.

The Brooklyn Nets are the favorites to win the Jericho Sims sweepstakes, per @BovadaOfficial

Brooklyn Nets +155
Portland Trail Blazers +325
New Orleans Pelicans +325
Sacramento Kings +600
Indiana Pacers +800
Charlotte Hornets +1000 pic.twitter.com/X0jzqEFwZB

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 14, 2025

Sims is not one of the premier trade targets out there. Indiana has been linked to bigger targets. Specifically, wings that can help offensively and offer some length defensively.

Jerami Grant and Cameron Johnson are two of the most popular targets that the Pacers have been linked to before the deadline. Both of them would be starters.

Adding Sims wouldn't do much for the Pacers right now. He's on the fringes of the rotation for the Knicks right now, so he wouldn't be a big addition for Indiana.

The case for adding Sims is that he would be a cheap trade target that wouldn't require a lot to send back to New York. He also adds some frontcourt depth, which they can use in case of more injuries.

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Because the Pacers are a second-apron team, any trade they want to make is much harder. The salaries much match up perfectly.

They already made a trade for Thomas Bryant to help up at the center position, and he has played fairly well for Indiana. Any move they make at the trade deadline will likely be for an impact wing.

Sims is averaging 1.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists this season.

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