by The GM on July 10 at 10:48PM
The Pacers have already changed the face of the franchise with their acquisitions so far this summer. With seven new players coming in and only four leaving, the roster has expanded and has become more flexible. I've looked at a lot of different combinations of lineups and I still don't really know who will be starting around Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. My best guess is that the main rotation will consist of:
TJ Ford - Jarret Jack
Mike Dunleavy - Brandon Rush
Danny Granger - Shawne Williams
Troy Murphy - Jeff Foster
Rasho Nesterovic - Roy Hibbert
Now, with those 10 players eating up most of the minutes, that leaves several other players fighting for playing time. Guys like Jamal Tinsley, Travis Diener, Marquis Daniels, Maceo Baston, Josh McRoberts, and Stephen Graham will be splitting a lot of rare minutes this season. Daniels is probably going to be the guy that gets the most minutes out of this bunch with his ability to run the point and play the off guard position.
Larry Bird has said that he can't guarantee anymore moves being made this summer, but they are definitely trying to move some pieces around. I would have to say that the players with the most trade value are Jeff Foster and Shawne Williams. Foster is coveted for his rebounding prowess and Williams is an intriguing, young player with a ton of potential. If, and it is a big IF, the Pacers can package Foster and a bad contract (Tinsley, Daniels, or Murphy) or Williams and a bad contract, then they can trim down the roster a little while adding either picks or rotation players.
I've come up with a couple hypothetical trades that could work for both teams. Indiana could send Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy to Miami for Shawn Marion. Foster would come off the books for Miami next summer and Marion would come off the books for Indiana.
Another possible trade would be Foster/Murphy to Cleveland for Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak. Although I'm not a fan of trading within the division, this trade helps out both teams.
The last trade I can think of with Foster is sending him and Murphy to New York for Zach Randolph. Randolph still has three years left on his contract, but he isn't an injury risk and he is consistent with his contributions. New York will receive some relief of that contract when Foster falls off the books next summer.
As far as Shawne Williams goes, I thought of a few different deals. The first one would send Williams and Jamal Tinsley to Utah for Kyle Korver, Ronnie Price, and Jason Hart. This trade basically just gets rid of Tinsley's contract and adds a shooter in Korver.
The other trade I came up with was Williams and Marquis Daniels to Houston for Shane Battier and Steve Novak. Battier would provide some great perimeter defense and would be a good fit in Jim O'Brien's system. If this trade did happen, I could see a lineup of Ford (or Jack), Dunleavy, Battier, Granger, and Foster (Murphy or Nesterovic as well).
Then again, Indiana could just sit on all these players this season and see if they can contribute anything. With 10 players in the final year of their contracts, Indiana could clear about 31 or 32 million dollars. The main player coming off the books is Danny Granger, who the Pacers are trying to get a deal done with this summer.
With plenty of summer left, I'm sure there are plenty of moves to be made in the NBA. I'll sit and wait to see what the Pacers do.
TJ Ford - Jarret Jack
Mike Dunleavy - Brandon Rush
Danny Granger - Shawne Williams
Troy Murphy - Jeff Foster
Rasho Nesterovic - Roy Hibbert
Now, with those 10 players eating up most of the minutes, that leaves several other players fighting for playing time. Guys like Jamal Tinsley, Travis Diener, Marquis Daniels, Maceo Baston, Josh McRoberts, and Stephen Graham will be splitting a lot of rare minutes this season. Daniels is probably going to be the guy that gets the most minutes out of this bunch with his ability to run the point and play the off guard position.
Larry Bird has said that he can't guarantee anymore moves being made this summer, but they are definitely trying to move some pieces around. I would have to say that the players with the most trade value are Jeff Foster and Shawne Williams. Foster is coveted for his rebounding prowess and Williams is an intriguing, young player with a ton of potential. If, and it is a big IF, the Pacers can package Foster and a bad contract (Tinsley, Daniels, or Murphy) or Williams and a bad contract, then they can trim down the roster a little while adding either picks or rotation players.
I've come up with a couple hypothetical trades that could work for both teams. Indiana could send Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy to Miami for Shawn Marion. Foster would come off the books for Miami next summer and Marion would come off the books for Indiana.
Another possible trade would be Foster/Murphy to Cleveland for Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak. Although I'm not a fan of trading within the division, this trade helps out both teams.
The last trade I can think of with Foster is sending him and Murphy to New York for Zach Randolph. Randolph still has three years left on his contract, but he isn't an injury risk and he is consistent with his contributions. New York will receive some relief of that contract when Foster falls off the books next summer.
As far as Shawne Williams goes, I thought of a few different deals. The first one would send Williams and Jamal Tinsley to Utah for Kyle Korver, Ronnie Price, and Jason Hart. This trade basically just gets rid of Tinsley's contract and adds a shooter in Korver.
The other trade I came up with was Williams and Marquis Daniels to Houston for Shane Battier and Steve Novak. Battier would provide some great perimeter defense and would be a good fit in Jim O'Brien's system. If this trade did happen, I could see a lineup of Ford (or Jack), Dunleavy, Battier, Granger, and Foster (Murphy or Nesterovic as well).
Then again, Indiana could just sit on all these players this season and see if they can contribute anything. With 10 players in the final year of their contracts, Indiana could clear about 31 or 32 million dollars. The main player coming off the books is Danny Granger, who the Pacers are trying to get a deal done with this summer.
With plenty of summer left, I'm sure there are plenty of moves to be made in the NBA. I'll sit and wait to see what the Pacers do.
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