The Trade deadline for the Pacers yielded excellent results. They were able to move off Domantas Sabonis, add young players, and clear cap space to sign players in the offseason.
Of the three trades the Pacers made the deal with the Kings is the headline grabber. The deal included sending Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, and a 2023 second round pick to the Kings for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson.
What a steal for the Pacers. The acquisitions of Haliburton and Hield will be huge for the future of this team. They are both young players with a lot of potential for the future and bring much needed shooting ability to the current roster.
Hield is having a down year shooting, but up to this point in his career he’s around a 40% 3-point shooter. He can create off the dribble as well, but with Haliburton and Duarte that isn’t a necessity. This should free him up to do what he does best, catch and shoot.
As good as Hield is Haliburton is the attention grabber in this trade. He’s only in his second season and has shown flashes of being a potential star. His court vision and shooting ability are impressive for a 21-year-old point guard. He’s only getting better and his ability to play either on ball or off ball gives the Pacers so many options on offense.
Adding Hield and Haliburton to a team with Isaiah Jackson, Myles Turner, and Chris Duarte gives the Pacers a young core to build around with Hield being 29 and everyone else being under 25. With some lottery luck the Pacers could be in a similar position as the Grizzlies are this year.
In a season that looked hopeless the trade deadline has given Pacers fans a future to look forward to. Hopefully, we’ll see the Pacers capitalize on their newfound potential in the years to come.