Pacers Should Pursue Trade for 17.7 PPG Forward

The Indiana Pacers need to upgrade the roster this offseason as they look to get back into contention in the 2026-27 season. 

The 2025-26 season was a gap year for the Pacers as star guard Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire season with a torn Achilles tendon. In the 2024-25 season, Indiana showed a ton of promise, as Haliburton led them to Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Haliburton played well in that season, averaging 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three.

He is an elite playmaker and has shown that he can elevate his game in the postseason. However, Haliburton is coming off a major injury, and the Pacers will need to add more talent with the Eastern Conference getting better.

One player Indiana should target is New Orleans Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey. Bey had a breakout year for the Pelicans, averaging 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 45.1 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from deep.

He is a talented scorer who could start for Indiana alongside Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac or come off the bench behind Aaron Nesmith.

The 27-year-old is entering the final year of his deal, making $6.4 million. That is a very affordable deal for the Pacers to acquire a key rotational piece. 

Trading for Bey with his cheap contract would allow the Pacers to keep their core intact while making a significant upgrade to the rotation.

Indiana could use another scoring punch after including Bennedict Mathurin in a trade to acquire Zubac at the trade deadline. Mathurin was the Pacers' primary scorer off the bench over the last few seasons, and Bey could fill that role well.

While Indiana already has a talented roster with solid depth, adding a player of Bey's caliber could elevate them to the next level, allowing them to compete with teams like the New York Knicks for the Eastern Conference title.

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