Sources: Pacers Quietly Looking To Trade Roy Hibbert
The Indiana Pacers, who suffered their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals loss against the Miami Heat this past season, experienced a sporadic lapse of production from center Roy Hibbert during the postseason. Sporting News has reported that multiple league sources are convinced that Indiana has ben quietly looking for a trade scenario involving their starting center.
The Pacers are clearly still weighing their options with free agent shooting guard Lance Stephenson, who turned down their five-year, $44 million offer. It was reported last week that they were inquiring about Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic, but no progress has been made there yet.
One general manager even shared,
I think they’d be disappointed to see that same core group back intact, so it is a matter of, how drastic can the changes they make be? Moving Hibbert for multiple pieces would be a pretty drastic change, but they’re asking.
The difficulty for Indiana is finding a suitor for the two years and $30 million left on Hibbert’s contract. I think the Pacers are doing the right thing in looking to blow up their structure a bit, because winning with size and defense only works when your size is dominant, or at the very least productive.
Teams are downsizing and playing faster paces, and even though Hibbert was often Indiana’s biggest threat against the Miami Heat, particularly last year, it’s important for them to adapt and try to develop more of an offensive identity. I’m not sure they’ll be able to find the right situation, but this is probably the best way to be thinking.
Of course, things could be drastically different for Indiana if the Miami Heat’s Big 3 end up parting ways.
