Should the Indiana Pacers Get in the Bidding War for Jaylen Brown?

The ripple effect of Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded to the Miami Heat will have a direct impact on the Boston Celtics core, as there is growing belief that Jaylen Brown could still be om the move after not being traded to Milwaukee.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst had this to say in the early morning programming on ESPN about the aftermath of Jaylen Brown not being trade:

“What I expect to happen, is a bidding war for Jaylen Brown...teams have been preparing for this eventuality…I think it’ll take time to play out, but if there is a draft pick involved, it could happen today. I don't think that's likely, but it could.”

Recent Reports and Picks the Pacers Have

Oct 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket defended by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

While the Pacers don't have a draft pick to include for this year's draft, they still have three future first-round picks they could move and swaps. This makes Indiana being aggressive for Brown an interesting idea.

We heard from shams Charania of ESPN that the Celtics offered the Bucks two first-round picks with Jaylen Brown for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the offer was not accepted. That means that the Celtics think Giannis is that much better than Brown, and were comfortable trading away addiitonal first-round picks.

Why the Pacers Should Consider Going After Brown

From a Pacers perspective, they do have the assets to be in consideration for a Jaylen Brown trade, but would they be willing to do it?

If the Pacers are serious about competing at the highest level, they absolutely have to consider what it would take to get Jaylen Brown to Indiana. Brown turns thirty in October and is under contract for the next three seasons. That extends the Pacers window past the two years they have put in place and gets them an All-NBA star next to Tyrese Haliburton.

Pairing Brown with Haliburton would be a seamless fit. Brown wants to be "the guy" and Haliburton has no problem allowing him to do that. Haliburton would still be viewed as the franchise guy, but he doesn't have the ego that would get in the way from attracting a star player like Brown.

It is also worth mentioning that Brown is a durable player that rarely misses time. Over the last five seasons he has played in at least 61 games or more. He plays a heavy amount of minutes and is in great shape, showing that he can last for long stretches without needing a break.

Pacers First Trade Package

Indiana's best trade offer would have to start with Pascal Siakam and at least two first-round picks. Salary wise, this would not be enough, so the Pacers would have to include one of Jarace Walker or Ben Sheppard.

This doesn't deplete the Pacers roster, and if Walker is sent instead of Sheppard, it actually saves the Pacers a small amount in salary. But it does leave Indiana thin at the four spot.

Ty JB — Dec 27, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) drivers the ball against Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

A starting five with this package would be:
-Haliburton
-Nembhard
-Brown
-Toppin
-Zubac

The Bench Rotation:
-McConnell
-Sheppard
-Nesmith
-Furphy
-Huff

Depth Pieces
-Jones
-Jackson
-Potter

This would probably be the best trade off the Pacers could offer and the best offer the Celtics would take from Indiana. If they were willing to trade for Giannis who will be 32 in December, why would they not want a 32 year old in Siakam? He's proven to be a great player and playoff riser, and if Jaylen wants out, this is a win-now move with draft capital attached.

Pacers Second Trade Package

If the Celtics wanted to retain a ton of assets for Jaylen Brown to balance out their roster more, the Pacers do have an enticing trade package they could send.

The deal would be: Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker, with three first-round picks attached.

That would leave Indiana with a three-headed monster in Haliburton, Brown, and Siakam, with Zubac at the five and Sheppard at the 2. It would completely deplete the Pacers depth, leaving only McConnell, Huff, and Furphy on the bench, and would cost then $6.5M extra. This would be a hard move to make for Indiana, but similar to Miami acquiring Giannis, they could fill the rest of the roster with minimums.

Pacers Third Trade Package

If Indiana wanted to keep Andrew Nembhard in the deal, as well as Haliburton, Siakam, and Zubac, they could financially send out the following players to make a deal for Jaylen Brown work:

-Aaron Nesmith
-Obi Toppin
-T.J. McConnell
-Jarace Walker
-Ben Sheppard
-3 First Round Picks
-3 First Round Swaps

The finances would be similar to what the Pacers would have to deal with in the second trade package, but you trade two bench players instead of a starter and more draft capital. This would be the "ideal" trade package for the Pacers, because that starting five would be otherworldly, but why would Boston do that?

If this trade package were being sent to a third team and the Celtics were able to get a star on their roster, then a deal like this would make more sense. However, this one seems the least likely to happen.

Final Thoughts

If the Pacers really wanted to acquire Jaylen Brown, trading Siakam is the only real solution to land the sonn-to-be thirty year old wing. Boston will want a win-now player with a ton of draft capital, and the Pacers have three picks and three swaps to attach with Siakam and Walker to make the deal work.

The Celtics might want a better player in return than the highly-respected Pascal Siakam. There will be players availabe that you wouldn't expect to become available if Brown were on the table, and I would guess that Boston would ask for two of the Pacers starters in a deal. Something like Nembhard and Siakam for Brown.

I doubt the Pacers would be willing to gut their roster to pull a trade like this off, but if they did, it would be for a player of Jaylen Brown's caliber.

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