It had been rumored that the Pacers were open for business. They started the retooling of their roster by shipping off Caris LeVert over the weekend. They followed that up with an even bigger move on Tuesday, moving two-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis to the Kings.
Here is the trade in full:
Kings-Pacers trade details
- Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, Pacers 2027 second-round pick
- Pacers receive: Tyrese Haliburton , Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson
Pacers grade: A
At 21 years old, Haliburton is one of the most intriguing young guards in the league. He has incredible feel, and he will get an opportunity to show more of his creative pick-and-roll prowess with the Pacers.
Haliburton fits well into coach Rick Carlisle's preferred 5-out offense. He's a career 41.1 percent 3-point shooter who is averaging 14.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
MORE: Full details on every NBA trade deadline deal so far
Hield brings value as a high-volume 3-point shooter. He's shooting 37 percent on a whopping nine attempts per game this year. Still, that doesn't justify the $63 million remaining on his contract through the 2023-24 season.
The Pacers have now put together a ton of 3-point shooting threats to play in Carlisle's system. With Haliburton, Hield, Chris Duarte, Myles Turner, and Malcolm Brogdon, the Pacers are going to be bombing from deep and opening the floor up to utilize Haliburton's creation and isolation skills.
Kings grade: C-
Just entering his prime at 25 years old, Sabonis is the biggest name in this trade. He's also on a reasonable contract, paying him $18.5 million next year and $19.4 million in 2023-24. Though he fell short of receiving a third All-Star nod, he's had a good year for the Pacers, averaging 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on the season.
NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)
Sabonis is a solid creator. He can facilitate offensive sets with good decision-making and passing. He should be an interesting pick-and-roll partner with De'Aaron Fox, who is in the midst of a down year. But Sabonis is limited, both defensively and by his lack of a dependable outside shot (he's a career 32 percent 3-point shooter).
NBA TRADE RUMORS: Will the Nets trade James Harden?
The Sabonis and Turner pairing had run its course in Indiana, but it does remain curious why the Kings traded to put Sabonis in a similar situation. Richaun Holmes has played well, and that may again force Sabonis into an awkward pairing unless Holmes is on the move too.
Lamb and Holiday are decent veteran pieces that can play at the back-end of a rotation.
While the Kings did get some nice pieces, letting Haliburton go is going to hurt them. He has looked like an extremely promising young guard, and with more opportunity and a great situation around him, he could make the Kings strongly regret this deal shortly down the line.
