Pacers Receiving Trade Interest in Crucial Starter as Season Spirals Away

The Indiana Pacers haven't quite found a way to put together the collectiveness that they showed in the postseason last year. The team made the Eastern Conference Finals, much to the surprise of many around the NBA.

This season, Indiana felt like they could build upon that success, taking the experience that they gained to help with everything. But so far, it has been the complete opposite and the Pacers have floundered a little.

Currently, Indiana holds a record of 9-14 and is looking for any semblance of a sign that they can turn things around. This organization is expected to be active at the trade deadline but whether they are buyers or sellers remains to be seen.

If they do sell, one name on their roster seems to be gaining some traction around the league. That would be guard Andrew Nembhard, if only for salary cap purposes.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer has reported that Nembhard could be an option for teams down the line. His contract is friendly enough that even teams over the second apron could still try to land him.

“That goes triple for Indiana's Andrew Nembhard, who's earning $2.019 million this season before his three-year contract extension worth nearly $60 million kicks in. To be clear once again: No one is suggesting that there is any tangible Nembhard trade chatter circulating at the moment. Yet one salary cap expert consulted brought up Nembhard himself and told me he'd price the ability for a second-apron team to be able to acquire a contract like his — knowing they'd also land a quality player commanding less than $20 million in average annual value starting next season — at a minimum of one future first-round pick … without even factoring in how strongly Nembhard performed for the Pacers in last spring's playoffs. This is the sort of spitballing that routinely takes place as teams increasingly see fewer pathways to acquire medium-salary players.”

While the Pacers may not trade Nembhard, they likely would see what they could get for the young guard. Most players are available for the right price and if an opposing team offered Indiana a deal that they couldn't refuse, they would have to consider it.

Nembhard has been a big piece to this team and Indiana would rather keep him on the roster moving forward. It's unlikely that he gets dealt but trade speculation runs wild in the months leading up to the trade deadline.

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