The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports the Indiana Pacers are looking to hit the reset button as a possible rebuild could be in the works.
Sources: The Indiana Pacers are moving toward rebuild, receptive to trade talks centered on Caris LeVert and either Domantas Sabonis or Myles Turner.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 7, 2021
Story with @bkravitz at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/2bGjubFtWe
Charania adds that the Pacers are essentially alerting other teams that Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and Caris LeVert could all be available via trade. At 10-16, Indiana is almost 100 percentage points off last season’s pace, in which they finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and qualified for the playoff-play-in tournament. That’s what makes this news about starting over disappointing if you’re a Pacers fan.
Turner and LeVert are under contract until the end of the 2023 season, while Sabonis has a contract that runs through the 2024 season. The Pacers looked like they were building a nice nucleus after acquiring Sabonis and LeVert via trade to join Turner. Sabonis is the second-leading scorer on the team, with 17.8 points per game. LeVert is third with 14.9 points, and Turner is fifth with 12.6 points per game.
The reality is that it’s naturally more difficult for mid-market teams to compete in the league. However, this decision seems wrought with plenty of impatience at the moment.
Indiana’s currently a favorite to miss the playoffs at -400 and +300 should it qualify.
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