Mock Trade With Indiana Pacers’ Rival Sets Up Success for After Haliburton Returns originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Pacers are not expected to be competitive next season. After losing both Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana is expected to use next season to see who is worth keeping around long-term and who is not fit for the roster.
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By the time the Pacers are ready to compete once again in 2026-27, they are expected to have a vastly different roster, even if some experts would prefer them to avoid making any big, rash trades.
“If I am the Pacers, I’m not really trying to switch things up right now,” said BleacherReport’s Connor Thomas. “I’m kind of just trying to bide my time until Hali comes back next season.”
If anyone is going to be traded this summer or before the mid-season deadline, it will likely be Andrew Nembhard, whose three-year, $56 million contract starts next season. He could be flipped to a rival to fill a position of need.
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Thomas seemed intrigued by the idea of the Pacers making a deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jarrett Allen, as a replacement for Myles Turner down low, although a straight-up swap for Andrew Nembhard would not work.
While the Pacers are unlikely to make a deal with the Cavs, they could swap Nembhard and Jarace Walker for Allen and Jaylon Tyson. Both Tyson and Walker are not being used to their full capacity in their current roles, and a change of scenery could bode well for both players.
That would give the Pacers a lineup of Haliburton, Allen, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Aaron Nesmith moving forward, and the Cavs would almost certainly then move on from Darius Garland, setting up a re-tool for the best team in the Eastern Conference last season.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.