The Indiana Pacers got worse | The Athletic NBA Show

The Indiana Pacers got worse | The Athletic NBA Show

I want to start with Philly uh obviously the Joel embiid uh injury is the biggest thing lingering over that team but they made a couple moves they shipped Pat Beverly to Milwaukee for campaign in a move that I don’t really understand uh but they also traded for Buddy hee Fon

Corkas out of town they get buddy hee and at full health this team is going to score so many points buddy heeld might be the best shooter Jo beads played with like as far as catch and shooty oh you know what that’s that’s fair that’s fair

Some somewh JJ was like you consider the volume and and the shots that he takes heal heals up there man like he’s a very good shooter but I appreciate you reminding me man uh but but you see like the vision here uh it makes so much sense to

Add that kind of shooting on the perimeter Joelle has to come back like I mean this is just th this move I mean it doesn’t matter for this season unless he comes back my assumption is they’re going to sign him this Summer uh heal heal is a free agent this summer my

Assumption is they’ll bring him back but none of it matters if Joel is not healthy I don’t think they can operate any other way like they like you know you’re trying to win a championship all right if he’s not right we’re not winning a championship right so let’s

Zero like that might affect how much like you’re willing to put in in a trade in terms of like the equity of the bet but in terms of the kinds of bets you’re looking at the upside is if Joelle is healthy and and so I think that that

That’s the only way to look at it and they didn’t really give up they didn’t really give up a ton and you know some of the smaller moves they made the moving Daniel house moving Jaden Springer uh and I think that the the the Beverly for campaign move is sort of uh

Signaling this is they’ve they’ve put themselves in the position they got enough under the apron to be able to sign I think two buyout guys so I think that they think they’re probably getting Kyle Lowry and somebody else yeah um and yeah that’s right they cut uh

Daniel house throw that out there a little bit of housekeeping no they traded him to Detroit who that who who cut him right right yeah Detroit just cutting a lot of people man just just going um no I like buddy heeld for them I think the you know Dave you alluded to

It best shooter they’ve had since JJ reck and I think that and I think that’s a good one another guy that can kind of he can attack the clo put it on the floor a little bit smart player good good movement guy and kind of keep the

The stuff going there and and you know we all know and Seth said it you said it man if Joel embiid comes back great that I mean if they’re not winning anything if he doesn’t and I think they’re they they they had to operate that way in

That sense I like what they’re doing I think them clearing two buyout spaces besides Kyle lry means they know one other guy that’s getting bought out that they kind of want and it’s not that this league endorses tamper at all in any way shape or form or that we have such a

Show named that for that on our podcast network but I’m sure there’s been a couple signals sent out you know in terms of who’s gonna be out there I mean I think that’s going to be uh something to keep an eye on and how they’ll kind

Of improve it from there and you know campaign’s not going to do much for them well and the thing about the buyout Market that we should just reiterate is that the new CBA makes it very difficult for the top teams to be in the buyout market so this is actually pretty smart

Move by darl Mory to to get himself in a position to be able to pick up a couple of guys with less competition like this are the are they the best team that has the ability to get a buyout I mean just off the top of your head it feels like

Yes yes yes does Phoenix have that ability or no they are it it’s we’ll have to see how it shakes out with all the trades and stuff out in like the Rotty the Rotty portion of the trades that they made so so maybe but it’s not it’s not clear

Yet I love the phrase the Rotty portions of the trades um Indiana here look I I understand that you have to make these moves uh based on the future and that they’re likely to lose buddy healed for nothing but they got worse and it’s a team that I I don’t know that

They got a playoff run in them you know but they definitely do like I don’t think they’ve got enough juice now to make a playoff run uh Doug mcdermit who they picked up from from the Spurs that does not replace what buddy heel did um and again I understand it you know the

NBA you got to think longer term uh but I don’t I mean Andrew like I hate I just hate to see a team that’s been so good and fun kind of cut that a little short yeah I do too I mean they made the seaka move which feels felt like an

All-in move and then they made this move that was like well we’re we’re we’re still all in but only kind of I I don’t love it because they’re they in position to be there at the 4 five they dealt for McDermot to kind of like fill that void

For in the shooting role but you’re right like he doesn’t provide the same amount of shooting like he’s not going to get not going to shoot as many threes as buddy did and so I don’t love it I think that buddy helped them kind of play their style because he would take

So many threes and he did space the floor so I’m with you I think they got worse I think it was a good like if we’re just like praising people for Asset Management like okay good job for Asset Management but I but I don’t love it for this season in

Particular I think that I mean we we’ve talked about freeing up minutes and I think Aon n Smith’s been really good this year Andrew neart has given them some stuff getting more from from maen is is is probably or getting more of a look at Ma and is probably good too but

I think above all it might signal that they reading tea leaves here might signal that they kind of are being cautious maybe even pessimistic about uh Tyrese Halbert Health the rest of the year because in much the same way that like you know Philly’s doing nothing without embiid

Healthy if if like hi is so Central to that team I mean he might be like on a Luca level with as as uh as integral to everything a team does uh with any team in the league and and you know hamstrings are tricky and so it might

Signal that this guy’s a free agent probably you know we don’t want to push this guy this year because we don’t want to turn this into a long-term thing so that that may be factored into their thinking as well yeah I I’m not too it’s just like

An ah for them in that situation like I think they know their situation and know the injury situation better than anybody else and it’s not like them losing buddy heel doesn’t I think make the difference for them four or five I mean they replac it with mcder

And you guys are right he’s not at that level or not but I think the them knowing their situation was probably them being more realistic and you know that’s I I applaud a team for being realistic for once in the NBA

The Athletic NBA Show discuss the Indiana Pacers trading Buddy Hield.