The NBA trade deadline is still two days away, but the pace has picked up considerably in recent days. Portland has been very active, sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers and on Tuesday shipping CJ McCollum off to New Orleans in a seven-player deal.
Indiana is the other team known to be sellers on the market, already dealing Caris LeVert to Cleveland, and on Tuesday they also made another blockbuster move, trading Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, and Justin Holiday to the Sacramento Kings for Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, and Tristan Thompson is a major shakeup for both teams.
Jeremy Lamb AND Justin Holiday. https://t.co/0GbRwKcRBP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2022
The only draft pick being sent out in the deal is a 2027 second rounder from Indiana to Sacramento.
The Pacers are including a 2027 second-round pick in the deal to the Kings, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2022
It’s a move few saw coming, but you can see the vision for both teams — even if it may not work out. Sacramento is clearly tired of the constant rebuilding mode they’ve been in for years, and Sabonis gives them frontcourt stability, while they also get a pair of quality veteran wings in Lamb and Holiday, who should raise their floor on the defensive end as well. The question for the Kings is how much this raises their ceiling and whether doubling down on trying to win now is the right move, but it’s not a shocker that ownership wants to reach the play-in this year and try to take something of a step forward.
For the Pacers, they accelerate their rebuild with Haliburton, a promising young guard, and continue to gain future flexibility. Hield will replace LeVert’s scoring at the off-guard/wing spot, and Indiana continues to try and set itself up for a quick rebuild — as it seems clear it’s not a complete teardown for now.
