Not a whole lot has gone right for the Indiana Pacers this season, as the team sits 25-55 and are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. Despite this, there are some reasons for optimism going forward, like the play of the team’s prized trade deadline acquisition, Tyrese Haliburton. Since joining the team from the Sacramento Kings, Haliburton has averaged 17.4 points, 9.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals in 35.9 minutes per game while connecting on 42 percent of his attempts from three.
One potential domino that could fall as a result of his strong play is a trade for veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, who has only played in 36 games this season. Brogdon signed a 2-year, $45 million extension in October that made him ineligible to be traded this season, and according to Marc Stein, the team has “left numerous rival teams with the impression that they will be trying to move” him once he’s eligible.
As for where Brogdon — who averaged 19.1 points and 5.9 assists in 33.5 minutes a night this year — could end up, Stein reported that there’s a certain team in Los Angeles that would love to bring him on board.
Another option that could (stress: could) present itself provided the Pacers like the idea: The Lakers have a well-documented interest in Buddy Hield, who came to Indiana along with Haliburton in the Sabonis trade, and might well offer Russell Westbrook and his $47.1 million expiring contract for Hield and Brogdon. With the Pacers presumed to have no interest in Westbrook beyond his expiring salary, such a swap figures to hinge on what sort of draft compensation the Lakers would be willing to furnish to sweeten the deal for the Pacers to participate and then (we can only imagine) part ways with Westbrook.
It’s hard to imagine that the Lakers would be able to pull this sort of deal off unless they add some of the young talent on their roster and both of their first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029, and even then, it’d take the Pacers determining that’s better than anything else they could get back for Brogdon.