Indiana Pacers Must Make A Trade At The Deadline

The Indiana Pacers are currently 20-33 on the season, and are stuck between competing for the playoffs or getting a good lottery draft pick. Larry Bird has been known for being aggressive at the trade deadline, and that time of year is coming up once again on February 19th.

Whether the Pacers decide that they want to continue trying to compete for a playoff spot or decide to build for next year, they need to make a trade ahead of this years deadline. If they choose to build for next year, trading either David West or Roy Hibbert would be a big step in the right direction. On the other hand, if they choose to compete for a playoff spot, they need to acquire another player to help them towards that goal.

There are plenty of players available for trade this year, and there are a few that could make the Pacers a legitimate playoff contender.

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One name in particular is Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, although he would be a very expensive option. Denver is going to trade him unless they get a fair deal in return, although the Pacers have some expiring deals they could trade. Luis Scola and Chris Copeland are two of them, while C.J. Watson would make sense for the Pacers to move in a Lawson deal as well.

Bird needs to make up his mind about whether or not he truly wants to make a run at the playoffs.

Another potential trade option for the Pacers is another member of the Nuggets, Arron Afflalo. He can be had for a first-round pick, and if the Pacers could make that pick a 2016 first rounder, then it would be a good move that would help them towards the playoffs in a big way.

All of that being said, the Pacers simply need to be aggressive on the trade market either way. Checking to see what the value for both West and Hibbert is would be a great idea, and could decide whether or not they make a move.

It is going to be an interesting upcoming weeks for the Pacers as rumors begin to heat up, and they will have some big decisions to make ahead of the trade deadline.