Pacers trade rumors & speculation thread

[ReggiesKnicks]

It's only a matter of time until Nesmith is back to playing 28 MPG on a consistent basis. Some of the dominoes of a busy trade deadline are starting to fall with Fox moving and Dallas dropping a bombshell on the sports world.

We have been active at the deadline the past 3 seasons [LeVert, Hill/Ibaka, Pascal and then Buddy]. I expect us to do the same with Nesmith back in the fold for a few weeks and the roster firing on all cylinders. There is no reason to be sellers but also no reason we can't upgrade our roster and rotation while improving the future of our salary structure.

For the point of this exercise, we currently have 143 million on the books for next year removing Obi and Bennedict (I'll get to this in a second), bringing back Wiseman and letting Jackson hit RFA and not retaining him. Turner starting at 28 million puts us at 171 while the tax threshold appears to be 187.8 in 2025-2026.

That leaves us with 16 million and change to play around with in additional salary for 2025-2026. We also have a 1st round pick, which likely ends up between #18-#24. Let's call it an additional 3 million in salary. That puts us at 13 million.

I'm excited to see what we end up doing here. There are some desirable players in the 9-13 Million salary slot but they are going to be hard to acquire (Donte DiVincenzo, Moses Moody, Naji Marshall, Mo Wagner, Isaiah Joe, Mitchell Robinson) and then other players who are likely too rich in terms of assets (Keegan Murray).

[Wizop]

I'm removing the untradeable tag from Mathurin.

[JMaster5K]

Anyone else find 'stories' like this incredibly frustrating & very counter productive?

https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2025/02/04/pacers-myles-turner-2025-nba-trade-deadline-dallas-doncic-anthony-davis/78223944007/

"Myles Turner will be a free agent after this season. Let me ask you something:

You think he won’t listen to the Lakers? Think he won’t tell them yes?

Have you lost your mind?

He’s gone. (emphasis include in the original text) Which means the Pacers have no choice but to trade him before the 2025 NBA trade deadline, Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT, or risk the decidedly non-zero chance of losing him for zero after the season.

Only question, really, is where? Where do the Pacers trade Turner? Maybe a team out there with NBA title hopes will run the risk of a four-month rental, and hope that Turner’s time there pays off so big that he decides to stay as a free agent. Or maybe the Lakers have enough capital right now or bring a third or even fourth team into the mix and make a run at Turner before 3 p.m. Thursday.

Whatever the case, the Pacers have an obvious need to trade Turner in the next 36 hours, and an equally obvious player to pursue as his replacement:"

None of which is fact,... or set in stone. Of course Myles will listen & if that is the best offer,.. he'll go. But, I don't believe we are out of the picture at this point,... when offers haven't been made & the negotiations haven't even started? Usually willing to give Doyle the benefit of the doubt,.. but this feels more like ravings than reporting? Am I off-base? (sanity check needed)

[Tom White]

Anyone else find 'stories' like this incredibly frustrating & very counter productive?

https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2025/02/04/pacers-myles-turner-2025-nba-trade-deadline-dallas-doncic-anthony-davis/78223944007/

When was the last time Doyel had a clue....about anything?

[Scoot McGroot]

That Doyel is incredibly inaccurate, too.

How is LA signing Myles? Why does he think Dallas has too many centers (AD is playing the 4 for them, which he’s been begging all of his teams to let him do for a half decade now)?


As far as I can tell, he felt like he had to write SOMETHING about the Donkic/AD trade, and this is what he came up with. And it’s bad.


I’ll be honest. I really like Gregg’s storytelling on smaller scale events or histories or stories. Get him to write 5,000 words on a small town gymnasium in the edge of collapse, and I’m riveted. Or a small town baseball legend. Or…. On and on. But his attempts at beat writing? They’re too “hot take” focused to be good. And this Myles story is a great example of it.

[JMaster5K]

That Doyel is incredibly inaccurate, too.

How is LA signing Myles? Why does he think Dallas has too many centers (AD is playing the 4 for them, which he’s been begging all of his teams to let him do for a half decade now)?


As far as I can tell, he felt like he had to write SOMETHING about the Donkic/AD trade, and this is what he came up with. And it’s bad.


I’ll be honest. I really like Gregg’s storytelling on smaller scale events or histories or stories. Get him to write 5,000 words on a small town gymnasium in the edge of collapse, and I’m riveted. Or a small town baseball legend. Or…. On and on. But his attempts at beat writing? They’re too “hot take” focused to be good. And this Myles story is a great example of it.

Couldn't agree more.

[Wizop]

For years I was allowed to watch the NFL draft in the press room at the Colts complex. I remember the reporters discussing Doyle. They said the publisher liked him because she thought he worked hard because he was always in his office. The reporters thought he had to get out of the office to find the stories. I rarely bother to read him.

[boomershadow]

Anyone else find 'stories' like this incredibly frustrating & very counter productive?

https://eu.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2025/02/04/pacers-myles-turner-2025-nba-trade-deadline-dallas-doncic-anthony-davis/78223944007/

"Myles Turner will be a free agent after this season. Let me ask you something:

You think he won’t listen to the Lakers? Think he won’t tell them yes?

Have you lost your mind?

He’s gone. (emphasis include in the original text) Which means the Pacers have no choice but to trade him before the 2025 NBA trade deadline, Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT, or risk the decidedly non-zero chance of losing him for zero after the season.

Only question, really, is where? Where do the Pacers trade Turner? Maybe a team out there with NBA title hopes will run the risk of a four-month rental, and hope that Turner’s time there pays off so big that he decides to stay as a free agent. Or maybe the Lakers have enough capital right now or bring a third or even fourth team into the mix and make a run at Turner before 3 p.m. Thursday.

Whatever the case, the Pacers have an obvious need to trade Turner in the next 36 hours, and an equally obvious player to pursue as his replacement:"

None of which is fact,... or set in stone. Of course Myles will listen & if that is the best offer,.. he'll go. But, I don't believe we are out of the picture at this point,... when offers haven't been made & the negotiations haven't even started? Usually willing to give Doyle the benefit of the doubt,.. but this feels more like ravings than reporting? Am I off-base? (sanity check needed)

I've read hot takes that were less off base from ballboys on this website

[Tom White]

\They said the publisher liked him because she thought he worked hard because he was always in his office.

He learned that trick from George Costanza.

[Wizop]

It's a two-fer. Doyle has dumb trade articles for both the Pacers and the Colts.

[GreatBuchinsky]

If the Lakers put Reeves on the table I’d absolutely take him for Turner. Then consolidate some wings/forwards into a separate trade for a center.

[Scoot McGroot]

If the Lakers put Reeves on the table I’d absolutely take him for Turner. Then consolidate some wings/forwards into a separate trade for a center.

Maybe even for Turner!

I kid, I kid….



But with our wings, I wouldn’t really trade a key piece for Reaves. He’s only under contract one more year, and I’m a HUGE believer in the Haliburton/Nembhard pairing. At that point, you’re either playing someone out of position at the 3, which I’d rather just keep playing Nesmith there, or you’re basically acquiring Reaves to bench him? Or benching Nembhard to play Reaves, which doesn’t seem great value?

I like Reaves. I’m just not a huge believer that he’s an upgrade?

[basketballwacko2]

I don't see Turner getting traded unless someone really wants him bad enough to over pay right now. If he stays and someone like the Lakers want to sign him they won't have space. Even if LBJ and DFS opt out their cap holds will still put them over the cap and in the tax. If they want to sign and trade they don't really have anything. I'd care to take, their 2031 pick is the only pick they can trade. The whole calculus of AD and LBJ being gone by then is out the window now that they have Doncic.

Maybe he signs else where maybe Dallas MT is from there. They're over the tax too. So if he is going to leave it's most likely as S&T. The Pacers can get something for him in the summer. I'm betting on his wanting to stay here, $28 million with raises for 5 years with a Player option in Yr 5.

[xBulletproof]

I'm guessing nothing happens.

If it does, I'm guessing Mathurin, not Turner.

[xBulletproof]

Just saw this. Having a hard time believing this, can't figure how this makes much sense team wise, or money wise.

Read on Twitter

[Wizop]

Just saw this. Having a hard time believing this, can't figure how this makes much sense team wise, or money wise.

this crazy post apparently broke the whole website for most of an hour

[xBulletproof]

Just saw this. Having a hard time believing this, can't figure how this makes much sense team wise, or money wise.

this crazy post apparently broke the whole website for most of an hour

I'm playing a game (Metaphor Refantazio, for anyone interested) and when I came back I looked to see if there was any response .... website broken.

I've seen that a couple times the last few days.

[Scoot McGroot]

Read on Twitter

[Scoot McGroot]

Lots of tax room, and an open roster spot now.

[Wizop]

Tony East has a good article on Forbes explaining the trade. He'll have a Locked on Pacers podcast too. Basically we can now convert a two-way or sign someone or a ten-day.