Pacers Massive Trade Proposal Predicts Indiana to Land $60M All-Star

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The Indiana Pacers have been on a roll of late, winning seven of their last 10 games overall. They have battled back from a poor start to the season and are now primed to make a massive splash ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

Indiana has some interesting trade assets to work with and it could help them land some coveted pieces on the market. In this new trade scenario, the Pacers add a multi-time All-Star big man to help bolster their frontcourt for the upcoming playoffs.

Using the Spotrac trade machine and looking at the new CBA restrictions in place, Indiana could do a deal with the Chicago Bulls. Here is what the trade could look like:

Pacers receive: Nikola Vucevic

Bulls receive: Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson, a 2025 second-round draft pick, and a 2028 second-round draft pick

Landing Vucevic could vastly help the Pacers chances in the Eastern Conference playoffs this season. His ability to step to the perimeter would help space the floor for Indiana and they could pair him alongside center Myles Turner.

Having two centers who could space the floor well would serve this Pacers team nicely. Vucevic is a multi-time All-Star who is making $20 million a season for the rest of this year and next season.

With Turner scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the year, adding Vucevic could be a way to get some insurance. Indiana wants to keep Turner but whenever a player hits the open market, anything can happen.

If the big man were to leave the Pacers, Vucevic could take over as the starting center for this team. Vucevic has served his teams well in the past and Indiana could benefit from his services.

Losing Nesmith would be tough for Indiana but he has been for a long period of time due to injury. Indiana has seen success without him and adding a talent like Vucevic could be worth trading him.

This trade package wouldn't be too high for the Pacers and they would still keep the vast majority of their core roster. But Vucevic could help elevate this squad in the postseason and it could see them build even further on their success from last season.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.