{"id":539157,"date":"2026-01-15T21:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T21:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/539157\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T21:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T21:12:24","slug":"nba-rumors-pacers-called-hawks-about-onyeka-okongwu-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/539157\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA rumors: Pacers called Hawks about Onyeka Okongwu trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA rumors: Pacers called Hawks about Onyeka Okongwu trade<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As the NBA trade deadline approaches next month, the Indiana Pacers<\/a> have begun casting a wide net in their search for frontcourt help, with recent outreach including a call<\/a> to the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> regarding center Onyeka Okongwu.<\/p>\n

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Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported this week that Indiana has contacted Atlanta to gauge the availability of Okongwu as the Pacers continue exploring options at center ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the bottom of the East, expectations persist that Indiana will chase big men for the present and future until the Feb. 5 buzzer sounds,\u201d Fischer wrote. \u201cI was told this week, for example, that Indiana has called Atlanta on Onyeka Okongwu<\/a> in addition to its previously reported interest in players such as Dallas\u2019 Daniel Gafford and the (perceived as much harder-to-get) Ivica Zubac of the LA Clippers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Okongwu, 25, is in the midst of a career season with the Hawks. In his sixth NBA campaign, the former No. 6 overall pick is averaging 16.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 block per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three-point range. He has appeared in 40 games, making 29 starts, and is playing 31.9 minutes per contest as Atlanta sits at 20\u201322.<\/p>\n

From a contractual standpoint, Okongwu is under team control through the 2027\u201328 season. He is in the second year of a four-year, $61.9 million contract and is earning $15 million this season, a figure that could appeal to teams seeking long-term stability without committing to a maximum deal.<\/p>\n

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Pacers cast wide net in search for frontcourt help as trade deadline approaches\"\u00a9<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Indiana\u2019s interest in Okongwu aligns with a broader frontcourt search sparked by its struggles near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The Pacers have also been linked to other big men across the league, including Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford<\/a> and Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac<\/a>, though Fischer noted that Zubac is viewed by rival teams as far more difficult to acquire.<\/p>\n

In addition to Okongwu, Fischer reported that the Pacers have registered interest in New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi. The 21-year-old second-year big man has seen a reduced role in New Orleans but remains on Indiana\u2019s radar as a developmental option.<\/p>\n

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Missi is averaging 5.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field across 35 appearances, including seven starts. He is playing 18.2 minutes per game for a Pelicans team that has struggled to a 10\u201333 record. Missi is in the second year of his four-year, $15.6 million rookie contract, which includes a team option for the 2027\u201328 season before restricted free agency.<\/p>\n

For now, no deal appears imminent. Fischer noted that Indiana could ultimately decide to delay a significant move until the offseason, depending on market conditions and asking prices as the deadline nears.<\/p>\n

The Pacers, now 9\u201332, saw their longest winning streak of the season end Wednesday night with a 115\u2013101 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Indiana will look to rebound Friday night when it hosts the Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. ET before beginning a five-game road trip Saturday against the Detroit Pistons (28\u201310) at 7:30 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

Related: Pacers\u2019 Jay Huff dazzles fans with reverse slam vs. Raptors<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s mic drop on injury rehab will have Pacers fans dreaming of another Finals run<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBA rumors: Pacers called Hawks about Onyeka Okongwu trade appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3774],"tags":[208,7,686,2619,188,113,126,3866,532,3553,135,6,2828,478,470,493,114,476,74165,1259],"class_list":{"0":"post-539157","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indiana-pacers","8":"tag-atlanta-hawks","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-daniel-gafford","12":"tag-detroit-pistons","13":"tag-indiana","14":"tag-indiana-pacers","15":"tag-indianapacers","16":"tag-ivica-zubac","17":"tag-jake-fischer","18":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","19":"tag-nba","20":"tag-nba-trade-deadline","21":"tag-new-orleans","22":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","23":"tag-onyeka-okongwu","24":"tag-pacers","25":"tag-toronto-raptors","26":"tag-trade-deadline-approaches","27":"tag-yves-missi"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115901180594048807","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}